Japan's national team, known as the Samurai Blue, has never advanced past the last 16 in World Cup history but stunned the football world with group-stage victories over Spain and Germany in Qatar, demonstrating their potential as formidable opponents.
No. At the moment, no. I think we are very, very focused here in the World Cup. I think everyone knows that I am committed with the national team here. I think it's not a point to talk about the future at the moment.
I think when we decided to give him the race seat one and a half years ago, we hoped for this trajectory. The ups and downs you expect from a young driver aged 18 in the first year, and eventually by the second year [we hoped] the success would materialize and I think this is happening.
Ivory Coast showcased their attacking strength with a dominant performance, scoring four goals against South Korea while also demonstrating resilience against their opponents' attempts to score.
Joe Hart admitted he felt 'unwelcome' as part of the national squad during Fabio Capello's time in charge, despite being grateful for his first World Cup experience. He described feeling like he was almost fourth or fifth choice, only coming into the squad when others were unavailable.
"He loved me. I don't know why, but he loved me. He always said good things about me. He was my hero. Even if I didn't like soccer, I had his poster in my room, and then I played with him."
