“We prepared so hard for this game,” said Oiwa. “The boys took their chances well and all our tactics fell into place.”

The decisive win against their perennial rivals was achieved thanks to a brace from Yuito Suzuki with Mao Hosoya adding the other, with Japan to face Uzbekistan in the semi-finals on Wednesday. 

“I’ve said before that our style is aggressive football and I don’t want to change it. The squad understood what I meant perfectly.

“Look at how they played today. Not only did the team play aggressively in the attacking half, they maintained that tone in defence as well. As a result, we scored three goals and conceded none,” said the former Kashima Antlers head coach. 

While Oiwa beamed with pride after his team’s magnificent performance, his opposite number Hwang Sun-hong took the blame for Korea Republic’s loss.

“It’s my fault that the decisions regarding the line-up, as well as some of the tactics that I tried, did not work out the way I had hoped,” said Hwang. 

“Japan were well-prepared and even though we created a lot of chances, we couldn’t convert them.

“For the overwhelming support that the fans showed, I am grateful and can only apologise for this journey coming to an end.”