SAITAMA, Japan — Japan were stung by their quarter-final exit at the Asian Cup earlier this year but midfielder Wataru Endo says they must not dwell on that setback and instead go into 2026 World Cup qualifiers against China and Bahrain with a positive mindset. Japan host China at Saitama Stadium on Thursday (Sept 5) as the third round of...
Soccer Football - AFC Asian Cup - Round of 16 - Bahrain v Japan - Al Thumama Stadium, Doha, Qatar - Jan 31, 2024 Japan's Wataru Endo in action with Bahrain's Mohamed Al-Hardan.SAITAMA, Japan — Japan were stung by their quarter-final exit at the Asian Cup earlier this year but midfielder Wataru Endo says they must not dwell on that setback and instead go into 2026 World Cup qualifiers against China and Bahrain with a positive mindset.
While Japan are strong favourites to finish in the top two in Group C, which also features Australia, Saudi Arabia and Indonesia, Endo said they are taking nothing for granted."The Asian qualifiers will be a long journey and there will be tough games along the way. Should Japan, who are attempting to qualify for an eighth consecutive World Cup, fail to land one of the two automatic spots from Group C, finishing third or fourth would extend their campaign into another round of preliminaries.
The Croatian will be in the opposing dugout on Thursday after his appointment by the Chinese earlier this year and Endo is wary of the wily 70-year-old, who also masterminded a win over the Japanese when in charge of Iran in 2005.
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