2022 World Cup: Japan Not Wanting To Have The Same Fate As 2 Other Asian Representatives

JAKARTA - Asian representatives reaped bad results in their inaugural match at the 2022 World Cup. Qatar and Iran both lost.

Qatar, who is the host, lost 0-2 to Ecuador in Group A. Meanwhile, Iran was beaten by England with a score of 6-2 in Group B.

Japan, who will be Asia's next representative, does not want to follow in the footsteps of Iran and Qatar. The Blue Samurai wanted to pick up points in their first match.

This mission is difficult. The reason is that Japan will face Germany in the opening match of Group E of the 2022 World Cup.

However, Japanese striker Takuma Asano asked his colleagues not to be afraid to face The Panzer.

"What is certain is that there are differences in the level of the Asian team compared to Europe and South America, and we are still not there. However, you will never know what happened in a tournament like this," said the player who took part in the German League with the Bochum.

"We need a lot of quality like technique and tactics, but senior players keep saying what is needed when taken into account is to be a team that really wants it," continued Asano, as reported by AFP via Antara, Tuesday, November 22.

Actually, Japan understands German characters quite well. The reason is, there are eight Japanese players who play in the Bundesliga, Germany's top league.

Japanese defender Takehiro Tomiyasu assessed that his team needed to be pragmatic. The Blue Samurai were also asked not to respect Germany too much.

"Of course we have to be realistic. I think we need to adjust the balance," said the Arsenal defender.