Inter Milan star Yuto Nagatomo hailed Japan’s self-belief after a hard-fought 2-1 win against Oman left the Asian champions on the verge of qualifying for the 2014 World Cup.
Japan led for much of the match in sweltering Muscat but they were rocked by an equaliser 13 minutes from time — before VfB Stuttgart pair Gotoku Sakai and Shinji Okazaki combined to snatch a precious late winner.
Unbeaten Japan’s fourth win in five games in the final qualifying round has given them an eight-point cushion with three to play, leaving them all but qualified for the tournament in Brazil.
The Blue Samurai resume their campaign in March. They will play Jordan away, Australia at home and then travel to face Iraq as they seek to seal their fifth successive World Cup berth.
“It was a result of fighting hard and believing in ourselves in tough conditions,” Inter defender Nagatomo said in Muscat, according to Japan’s Nikkan Sports.
Japan went ahead on 20 minutes through FC Nuremberg forward Hiroshi Kiyotake, but Ahmed Mubarak’s low free-kick late in the second half was the cue for an engrossing finale.
As Oman pressed for the winner, Stuttgart’s Sakai broke free down the left and his cross was touched on at the near post by Yasuhito Endo, leaving Okazaki with an easy finish.
“I was able to score a goal in a tough situation in the Middle East…. It was a result of attacking until the very end,” said Okazaki. “I gained a lot of confidence by scoring a deciding goal to win a tough away game.”
Iraq, the Asian Cup winners in 2007, gained a lifeline when they also struck late for a 1-0 win over Jordan, lifting them from bottom to third in Group B behind Japan and second-placed Australia, who have a game in hand.
And on a night of late winners, Uzbekistan rose to become the surprise leaders of Group A with a 1-0 victory over Iran at Tehran’s Azadi Stadium.
Australia celebrated a big psychological boost after their makeshift line-up grafted for a 2-1 friendly win over South Korea, thanks to late call-up Robert Cornthwaite’s close-range goal three minutes from time.
Australia’s first away victory over South Korea in 40 years brought renewed hope after an unconvincing start to the final qualifying round, with just one win in four games — although coach Holger Osieck downplayed the result.
“I think we have to be realistic,” the German said. “Today it was a friendly game and the qualifying games are a lot more difficult, that’s for sure.
“Now we have four more (World Cup qualifying) games, three games in Australia and, of course, we have to prepare for each game according to the opponent.
“We know all the teams now and I think I will find the right means to be successful.”
However, the result left a “dark cloud” over the prospects of South Korea, the Chosun Ilbo newspaper said, coming on the same night that the Taeguk Warriors were replaced by Uzbekistan at the top of Group A.
South Korea, World Cup semi-finalists in 2002, return to competitive action in March with a game in hand and qualifiers still to play against Qatar, Lebanon, Uzbekistan and Iran.
“The match fell short of expectations. There were critical errors twice by our defenders. An important task now is to narrow down the choice for the defensive line-up,” wrote Sports Seoul columnist Lee Yong-Su.
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Nagatomo hails Japan's belief after tough win
