Kaoru Mitoma made a bold prediction before Japan's clash with his Germany - but he couldn't have been more correct as they shocked the world on Wednesday afternoon.
Ilkay Gundogan gave Germany the lead on the half hour mark from the penalty spot as they dominated the opening 45 minutes. Hansi Flick's side had opportunities to double their advantage after the break, with Gundogan going close while Jamal Musiala and Kai Havertz both had chances to score.
But the Samurai Blue fought back and levelled on 75 minutes as Ritsu Doan poked the ball home from close range, sparking delirium in the stands. Moments later, Japan turned the game on its head as a long ball caught Germany napping and Takuma Asano beat the offside trap before coolly slotting past Manuel Neuer at his near post.
Germany pushed and pushed for an equaliser towards the end, but Japan stood strong and made a couple of last-ditch blocks to keep Flick's side at bay. It is one of the most historic results in Japan's footballing history, with Hajime Moriyasu's men looking to better their Round of 16 exit last time out at the World Cup.
However, Brighton winger Mitoma perfectly predicted what would happen in the game, with the 25-year-old admitting they could exploit Germany on the counter-attack. And that is exactly what happened as Japan caught Germany cold on a number of occasions and were able to capitalise with two second-half goals.
In the build-up to the game, Mitoma said: "Germany is the best team in the world but they have a weakness... They put many players in the attacking space, they have a weakness against the counter attack, so yeah, we are preparing for this."
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Meanwhile, former Southampton defender Maya Yoshida delivered his game plan following Schalke's 2-0 defeat against Bayern Munich last weekend, with the centre-back claiming they must be solid defensively to get anything from the match. Yoshida played up against the likes of Musaila, Thomas Muller, Niklas Sule, Leon Goretzka and Neuer in Schalke's defeat and knew what he was facing in Doha.
Like Mitoma, Yoshida chose to praise Germany but knew there would be spaces due to the pace of the game. Japan put in a resolute defensive performance with Yoshida key to the Samarai's win.
Speaking last week, Yoshida said: "We have to be compact, we have to be compact, we can't give them the space, that time. We need to be solid defensively, have unity, we have to work hard and it will be tough. But everything is possible, it will be a fast game, we will prepare as well as we can and we will see next week."
