Four years after failing to win a game at Brazil 2014, a late change saw Japan replacing Bosnian coach Vahid Halilhodzic with Akira Nishino last month.

Having suffered two 2-0 friendly defeats to Ghana and Switzerland under Nishino's leadership, Japan appeared to be set for another World Cup struggle.

But a 4-2 win over Paraguay before arriving in Russia rekindled belief among the squad that they can battle their way out of a group also featuring Senegal and Poland.

Nishino’s side picked up their first win on Tuesday in their third game under their new coach – following losses to Ghana and Switzerland – since replacing Vahid Halilhodzic with a 4-2 victory over Paraguay in their final warm-up before travelling to Russia.

“In the three games I’ve just been experimenting, whether it’s with the formation or the players I picked,” Nishino said. “I completely changed the team from the Swiss game and I wanted to see how they responded.

“As you might be able to imagine, we’ve kept a few things to ourselves, including set-pieces. If I were Colombia, I think I’d have a hard time reading into our team. There are things we’ve been able to show and things we haven’t been able to show up until now.

“Everything we’re doing right now is for the Colombia game.”

A well-balanced squad has given head coach Akira Nishino hope that the Blue Samurai will advance from Group H despite the challenge posed by Poland, Senegal and Colombia.

Nishino will be counting on the senior players to play a key role in Japan's sixth appearance at the FIFA World Cup.

Takashi Inui fired a brace to give Japan the lead after Oscar Romero had given Paraguay a 1-0 advantage going into half time.

An own goal by Federico Santander widened Japan's lead but Paraguay gave themselves a lifeline when Richard Ortiz found the back of the net in second half added time.

Veteran Shinji Kagawa, however, ensure a satisfying win for Japan when he scored almost immediately after.

The former Manchester City stalwart said Asian football has been progressing rapidly and Asia's five teams - Australia, Islamic Republic of Iran, Korea Republic, Japan and Saudi Arabia - will surely do their best in Russia 2018.

"Their target, besides advancing to the Knockout Stage, will be to show that Asian teams are closing in on European and South American sides," said Sun Jihai in an exclusive interview with the-AFC.com.

A squad filled with big-name veterans and a vastly experienced coach in Akira Nishino at the helm, Japan will hope to channel the spirit of 2002 and 2010 when they reached the last 16 of the FIFA World Cup.

Our Japan expert is Etsuko Motokawa, a Japanese football journalist and author. Motokawa has covered football for over 24 years, attending her first FIFA World Cup in 1994, and she currently writes on Japanese football for several newspapers and websites.

The pair met in their group concluder at Brazil 2014 with Japan requiring a win against a Colombia side that had already sealed a place in the knockout stage. 

Yoshida and Co battled hard but their hopes were dashed with a 4-1 defeat against uncompromising opponents. Four years on, that disappointment remains an unhappy memory for Yoshida.

"We were in a very difficult position going into the closing group match against Colombia," the 29-year-old Southampton centre-back said ahead of the pair’s upcoming meeting at the Mordovia Arena in Saransk. 

"Our opening loss to Ivory Coast cost us dearly, when we scored early but then we threw away our lead cheaply. 

"So when the Colombia test came, we faced a must-win scenario. We had a hard time (against Colombia) and they taught us a lesson of how tough the World Cup could be."