Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Japan coach Akira Nishino has fired a warning shot at Colombia, his team’s first opponents at the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia, saying the South Americans should expect the unexpected from the Samurai Blue in their Group H encounter on June 19 in Saransk.
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.”
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Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
St. Petersburg: Korea Republic captain Ki Sung-yueng is one of those players who isn't afraid to express his thoughts and feelings.
In a recent friendly match against Bosnia and Herzegovina, Ki threw away his captain's armband in the locker room during the halftime break after his side conceded two goals at home.
After Korea Republic were held to a 0-0 draw against Bolivia in their pre-2018 FIFA World Cup Russia tune-up match in Austria, the Swansea City midfielder told reporters that he felt like he was a "liar" since he couldn't keep his word to fans with the poor results.
Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Kuala Lumpur: With the 2018 FIFA World Cup kicking off today in Russia, we take to social media to look at the five Asian teams' experiences so far in the build up to the opening of the global football event.
Welcoming locals, excited fans, training camp sing-a-longs, birthday greetings and pin-point set pieces are all included in a selection of some of the best social media content from Asia's World Cup sides from the last week before today's big kick-off.
Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Kuala Lumpur: Previews, Features, Analysis, Tactics and History. The goals, the shirts, and the players that matter are all covered in our guide to Asia at FIFA's global event.
With the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia about to kick-off, we've collected all our preview content in one place for your enjoyment.
Expert views, team analysis, historical features, players to watch, goals to remember and much more.
Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Moscow: Almost four years of waiting has led to this. Precisely 1,432 days after Mario Gotze’s extra time goal saw Germany add a fourth star to their jersey, Russia and Saudi Arabia take to the field to start another chapter in the storied history of the FIFA World Cup.
Both sides come into the fixture at the Luzhniki Stadium on a poor run of recent form.
Russia have failed to win in seven non-competitive attempts since beating Korea Republic in October, while the Saudis have lost three friendly matches in a row - albeit to strong opposition in Italy, Peru and World Cup holders Germany.
Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Moscow: Japan's target will be to emulate, if not better, their previous best of two appearances in the Round of 16 at the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia.
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.
Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Kuala Lumpur: The Samurai Blue head into the 2018 FIFA World Cup on the back of a comprehensive continental qualifying campaign. Despite recent changes at the helm, there remains a reliance on the golden generation with household names back in the fold.
Overview
Japan’s preparation for Russia 2018 has not been the most straightforward of Asia's representatives, with coach Vahid Halilhodzic departing the helm just two months before the competition to be replaced with technical director Akira Nishino.
The former Gamba Osaka boss attempted a new three-man defence in his first match in charge, a 2-0 defeat at home to Ghana on May 30, as well as offering a reprieve to big names Shinji Kagawa, Keisuke Honda, and Shinji Okazaki, whose places were in doubt under Halilhodzic.