Japan’s first victory against Germany sent a seismic jolt through the World Cup and was reward for the courage shown by Hajime Moriyasu. The Japan coach wrested this Group E opener his side’s way with a series of second‑half substitutions that transformed the contest and consigned Germany to defeat in their opening World Cup match for a second consecutive tournament.
Four years ago in Russia a Hirving Lozano strike gave Mexico a famous win against the four-time champions. On Wednesday it was Takuma Asano of the Bundesliga’s Bochum who sent the vocal Japanese fans at Khalifa International Stadium into ecstasy along with his teammates and the rest of the squad who flooded on to the pitch to celebrate his 83rd‑minute winner.
