Japan exited the Qatar World Cup with historic victories over former world champions Germany and Spain under their belt. Ultimately though, after a 3-1 penalty loss to Croatia, the dream of reaching uncharted territory in the global spectacle was erased.
Japan will have much to remember from the World Cup, not least stunning upsets of Germany and Spain in the group stage. But they ultimately fell short of their cherished goal of making the quarterfinals for the first time.
The Samurai Blue had been to the first knockout round three times in six trips to the World Cup finals but had never gone any further, a state of affairs coach Hajime Moriyasu had committed his players to rectifying despite a tough draw.It looked like a distant goal for the first hour of their Group E opener against Germany as the four-time champions took the lead and dominated a Japan side who barely made it out of their own half.
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