Japan survived a second-half onslaught to squeeze past Oman 1-0 and get its Asian Cup defense off to a winning start in an opening Group D clash on Tuesday evening.
Midfielder Shunsuke Nakamura reacts after scoring in the 34th minute in Japan's 1-0 victory over Oman in the Asian Cup in Chongqing, China.
Zico's men were totally outplayed in stifling heat at Olympic Sports Center but had Italian-based midfielder Shunsuke Nakamura to thank after his sublime finish settled the match in the 34th minute.
"It was a tough match but our players defended well," Zico said after the match. "Maybe we played too deep but we had to defend to protect our lead. We took our chance. We had to use those tactics to get the result."