Japan Football Team

AFC Asian Cup 2019: Japan build on fortuitous penalty to eliminate favourites Iran and enter final

Yuya Osako put Japan 1-0 up after half-time but it was his penalty shortly afterwards, awarded following a video review, that knocked the stuffing out of Iran

AFC Asian Cup 2019: Takehiro Tomiyasu's lone strike helps Japan beat Saudi Arabia in Round of 16 match

Takehiro Tomiyasu's lone strike sent Saudi Arabia crashing out of the Asian Cup as Japan beat the three-time champions 1-0 to reach the quarter-finals on Monday.

AFC Asian Cup 2019: Japan need to be 'more clinical' to challenge title favourites Iran, South Korea, says Maya Yoshida

A new-look Japan were unimpressive when they beat Turkmenistan 3-2 in their opening fixture, but were missing two-goal hero Yuya Osako for the Oman clash.

AFC Asian Cup 2019: Japan narrowly beat Oman via controversial penalty; Qatar smash six past North Korea

Japan reached the knockout stages of last year's World Cup but they squeaked past Turkmenistan 3-2 in their opening Group F game and were poor against Oman, who almost equalised when Raed Saleh's acrobatic late volley flashed wide

AFC Asian Cup 2019: Yuya Osako nets brace as Japan survive early scare to beat Turkmenistan in opening fixture

Japan, kept out of the World Cup quarter-finals by Belgium, have now lost just one of their last 29 games at the Asian Cup, excluding penalty shootouts.

Poland appoint Jerzy Brzeczek as Poland coach after dismal campaign at FIFA World Cup 2018

Poland have appointed former captain Jerzy Brzeczek as national team coach in an attempt to restructure the team and facilitate the development of young players.

FIFA World Cup 2018: Defender Gotoku Sakai becomes third Japanese player to retire after elimination from tournament

Japanese defender Gotoku Sakai has become the third player to retire after Japan's heart-breaking late defeat against Belgium eliminated them from the World Cup.

FIFA World Cup 2018: 'Psychic' cat and octopus meet an untimely end as thousands express grief on Chinese social media

This edition of the FIFA World Cup has seen more than its fair share of psychic animals, some of whom have met untimely ends after fame, with a fortune telling cat falling ill and a clairvoyant octopus being turned into sashimi.

Neymar scores as Brazil cruise to victory over Mexico, Belgium overcome two goal deficit to win against Japan

Belgium overcame a two goal deficit to beat Japan 3-2 and Brazil cruised to a 2-0 victory over MExico to set up a quarterfinal clash against each other.

FIFA World Cup 2018: Senegal Football Federation asks organising body to reconsider Fair Play after being eliminated

The Senegal football federation has appealed to FIFA over the use of Fair Play in group stage matches to separate teams tied on points, citing Japan's decision to go for a loss as an example of how it can be used negatively.