Japan will look to further explore its attacking potential when it faces Senegal in a battle of the surprise contenders to advance to the knockout stage from Group H on Sunday.
The Blue Samurai have largely worked on keeping things tight at the back since head coach Akira Nishino took over from the sacked Vahid Halilhodzic in April but saw their attack shift gears in Tuesday’s 2-1 win over 10-man Colombia in Saransk.
“We had to start by building the base, which is defence,” midfielder Genki Haraguchi told Kyodo news agency. “But with that base in place, our ability to attack and respond to different situations is increasing.”
Victory saw Japan become the first Asian side to beat South American opponents at the World Cup but it is fully aware that Senegal, which scored an upset 2-1 win over Poland, could pose a sterner test at the Ekaterinburg Arena.
“We must keep our feet on the ground... we have to take into account that we played against 10 men for almost 90 minutes,” skipper Makoto Hasebe said, referring to Carlos Sanchez’s dismissal which gave Japan the advantage against Colombia.
“The next game will be a different story, we have to think about that,” the defensive midfielder added.
High on confidence
Senegal comes into the match equally high on confidence after a strong defensive display in Moscow helped it neutralise the Polish attack led by Robert Lewandowski.
“Senegal won due to discipline,” coach Aliou Cisse, captain of the side which beat holder France in its first ever World Cup match in 2002, said. “You saw a Senegal team very solid, very compact.”
With 10 of their starting XI from the last match playing in Europe, including Liverpool forward Sadio Mane and Napoli defender Kalidou Koulibaly, Senegal resembles a well-drilled European side and could make life tough for Japan.
