At the beginning of the second time, a Belgian football club was trailing after Genki Haraguchi closed down the assault and gave Japan the lead. Akira Nishino extended the advantage two minutes later, but Nasser Chadli produced an incredible counterattack in the third minute of injury time to give the Belgians football victory.
It was the target to come back
Any side will find it difficult to come back from a two-goal deficit with less than 30 minutes left, but Belgium rose to the occasion when they needed to do just that to keep their World Cup campaign alive.
But it’s important to recognize Roberto Martinez’s brilliant tactical football work, as the former Everton manager was at his best in the second half, bringing Fellaini into play to control the midfield and forcing Chudley into the side to limit Japan’s assaults. It provided the club extra time with the ball, which they utilized to their advantage in the game’s final seconds.
Japan emphasizes European flaws
Throughout the competition, the Asian team made superb use of the space created by the Red Devils’ defense, opening the door for counterattacks that, should the Europeans make a mistake, might be fatal.
The country scored twice, putting Belgium under pressure for the first time in Russia. Martinez’s side has historically struggled on defense, and it appears that if they don’t improve their defense against Brazil, they may have a very difficult time.
Samurai Blue carries himself with pride as he moves
The Asian football team left Russia with an outstanding campaign, emerging from a difficult group with a convincing victory over Colombia and a point against Senegal.
This run has demonstrated that Japan can compete with some of the greatest in the world and has enough to be proud of.