Japan’s World Cup exit shows how far the Samurai Blue have come
The Samurai Blue left the tournament with record-setting achievements and renewed evidence that the gap to football’s elite continues to narrow.
Japan came within seconds of taking Brazil to extra time before Gabriel Martinelli’s stoppage-time goal ended its World Cup run with a 2-1 Round of 32 defeat Monday in Houston. Kaishu Sano’s first international goal gave the Samurai Blue a halftime lead before Brazil rallied after the break.
Pushing Brazil to the limit
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