The world¡¯s best soccer teams are capable not only of earning three points for a win, but of turning a loss worth zero points into something more ¡ª a lesson that will drive those team¡¯s growth and lead to greater triumphs down the line.
It¡¯s a skill that Japan¡¯s national team has struggled to develop over the years, even as it has sought to learn from the sport¡¯s elite as part of its quest to become the first Asian team to lift the men¡¯s FIFA World Cup.
Narrow losses to top-ranked nations, such as the team¡¯s stunning 3-2 collapse against Belgium in the 2018 World Cup¡¯s round of 16, have been celebrated as moral victories, with the question of ¡°what went wrong¡± buried under praise for Japan¡¯s valiant efforts.
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