RUSTENBURG, South Africa — Japan coach Takeshi Okada says the Blue Samurai's united show of strength was the key to their qualification to the second round of the World Cup.
The three-time Asian champions powered past Denmark 3-1 to book their spot in the last 16 and now head to Pretoria on June 29 with confidence high ahead of an appointment with Paraguay.
"Our team has a strength that others don't have," Okada told the post-match news conference. "All our players and staff are truly united. We wanted to demonstrate that football is a team sport."