After suffering a heartbreaking round-of-16 exit at the 2022 FIFA World Cup, Japan is back in the knockout stage and preparing for one of its biggest tests yet, a round of 32 showdown against Brazil.
What makes Japan's run impressive is that it finished second in a group that included the Netherlands, Sweden, and Tunisia, despite being without star midfielder Takefusa Kubo for much of the group stage.
Kubo suffered a left knee injury during the Samurai Blue's opening 2-2 draw against the Netherlands and missed the subsequent matches against Tunisia and Sweden. He did not travel with the team for either game and instead remained on an individual rehabilitation program in an effort to return as quickly as possible.
IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters/Jerome Miron
However, those efforts have not paid off. Kubo continued to train separately from the main group on Sunday and appeared uncomfortable during agility drills before head coach Hajime Moriyasu confirmed he would miss Monday's clash with Brazil.
"He's still only doing individual running [and] training, so he's not going to play in the match against Brazil," Moriyasu said, via ESPN. "We really wish for him to recover swiftly, and he wishes it too."
The absence of Kubo is a major blow for Japan, leaving the team without one of its most creative attacking players against the five-time world champions. The Real Sociedad midfielder had registered an assist in the tournament opener, but after going down in the final stretch of regular time, Japan has been forced to lean more heavily on wide players such as Junya Ito and Yukinari Sugawara.
Even so, Moriyasu remains confident his squad can produce another memorable upset at NRG Stadium in Houston.
"Brazil are always a leading team. They have a very good chance of winning. Some people will say Japan are underdogs. We will play with that in mind. We will respect the opponents but, like last year [in the friendly win], we weren't given a chance to win. This possibility to win... we can change history.
"We're hoping that we can play the same way with this Round of 32 game. The world is looking at us."
Japan has reason to believe. Just nine months ago, it produced one of its most memorable victories, rallying from a 2-0 halftime deficit to defeat Brazil 3-2 in a friendly in Tokyo.
The Samurai Blue will undoubtedly draw confidence from that comeback when they take the field on Monday. While Brazil enters the knockout match unbeaten and the stakes are significantly higher this time, Japan will be hoping it can once again defy the odds and, as Moriyasu put it, "change history."
