Chinese soccer fans are looking at the Japanese national team’s recent performance with envy.
Japanese soccer website Football Zone covered a report by Chinese digital news site Zhongxi Newspaper Network after Japan’s 4-1 victory over Canada in an A-match friendly on Friday.
“Japan has a global scale,” said Zhongxi Newspaper Network. Mainland Chinese fans are also lamenting that ‘there is no Japanese rival in Asia,'” the site said.
Commenting on Japan’s recent five-game winning streak, scoring 22 goals in five A-match matches, the outlet said, “The Samurai Blue’s offense is intense. 카지노사이트가이드
The Samurai Blue’s offense is intense.
Japan plays with confidence,” and “Japan can take down European teams, but China is still trying to figure out how to take down Vietnam,” conveying the mood in China toward Japanese soccer.
Japan Football Association Social Media
“Japan aims to win the World Cup by 2050.
It could happen sooner than that,” said a Chinese fan.
A step up under Hajime Moriyasu, Japan started with a 6-0 thrashing of El Salvador, followed by wins over Peru (4-1), Germany (4-1) and Turkiye (4-2).
In five games, they scored 22 goals and conceded just five.
As of September, they were ranked 19th, the only Asian team in the top 10 of the FIFA rankings. Iran is 21st and South Korea is 26th.
Locally, Japan considers the friendlies from March to this month to be the “first phase” of building the team’s foundation.
The World Cup Asia qualifiers, which begin next month and run for 20 months, are the second phase of the “battle with Asia.
Japan won 4-1 without Kaoru Mitoma (Brighton), who was rested to protect his health, and without Takefusa Kubo (Real Sociedad). The local buzz is that “no matter who comes out, the performance doesn’t drop.
Japan is considered a strong favorite to win the 2024 Asian Cup in Qatar next January.
“Japan is strong,” South Korean coach Jürgen Klinsmann said in a media interview on Monday. But we are also strong,” he said, adding, “We hope to meet Japan in the Asian Cup final if possible.”