National team manager Alberto Zaccheroni insists he never lost faith in his team's ability to score after a last-gasp Maya Yoshida goal gave Japan a winning start to its 2014 World Cup qualifying campaign against North Korea on Friday.
Japan looked to be heading toward a stalemate against the defense-minded North Koreans at Saitama Stadium, with Yasuyuki Konno and debutant Mike Havenaar both hitting the crossbar on a frustrating night in front of goal until defender Yoshida crashed home a cross from Hiroshi Kiyotake in the 94th minute to snatch a 1-0 win.
But Zaccheroni believes the goal was a fitting reward for his team's efforts as it began its bid to qualify for the tournament in Brazil for a fifth successive World Cup, praising his players for keeping cool as the minutes ticked by.