The Samurai Blue¡¯s journey may not have been pretty, but the destination is all that mattered.
A pair of late goals by Kaoru Mitoma drove Japan to a 2-0 win over Australia on Thursday night in Sydney, clinching a seventh straight appearance in this year¡¯s FIFA World Cup by virtue of a guaranteed top-two finish in Group B of Asia¡¯s final qualifying round.
¡°It was difficult to approach this game because of the travel to Australia and other factors, but the players prepared well and I¡¯m glad the efforts of our staff to help them were rewarded with a World Cup berth,¡± Japan head coach Hajime Moriyasu said.
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