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.

Photo via kojikojifootball (YouTube)

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

…