Japan's alarming form

Japan's national team has early qualified for the 2026 World Cup, but its performance has declined alarmingly recently.

Japan went through three consecutive matches without a win.

On the evening of October 10, the Japanese team struggled to hold Paraguay to a 2-2 draw in a friendly match in Osaka. Despite playing at home at Panasonic Suita Stadium, coach Hajime Moriyasu's team showed inconsistent play and lacked sharpness in attack.

Paraguay took the lead early thanks to Miguel Almiron's goal in the 24th minute. Just five minutes later, Koki Ogawa equalized for the "Blue Samurai" with a powerful shot that made goalkeeper Fernandez fumble and score an own goal.

In the second half, Japan seemed to turn the tables when Takumi Minamino scored against Paraguay, but the goal was ruled out for offside. In the 64th minute, the away team regained the lead when Diego Gomez headed in accurately. It was not until the 90+4 minute that substitute striker Ayase Ueda saved Japan with a diving header to equalize 2-2.

This is the third consecutive match that Japan has not won, after drawing 0-0 with Mexico and losing 0-2 to the US in a series of friendly matches with American representatives. The series of poor results has not only caused the team from the Land of the Rising Sun to lose points in the FIFA rankings, but also exposed many problems in the squad.

In 4 days, Moriyasu and his team will face Brazil in Tokyo. This is a huge challenge in the context of declining performance. The "Blue Samurai" are at risk of receiving a heavy defeat when the South American representative just destroyed South Korea 5-0.

Source: https://znews.vn/phong-do-dang-bao-dong-cua-nhat-ban-post1592687.html