Tragedy of Doha - Japan coach reveals match against Spain triggered memories

Japan coach Hajime Moriyasu revealed that the FIFA World Cup match against Spain triggered the memories of the 'Tragedy of Doha' at the Khalifa International Stadium.

The 'Tragedy of Doha' for Japan is the late equaliser from Iraq in the qualifiers that deprived the Japanese team, including Moriyasu, from making their World Cup debut in 1994.

However, in the World Cup 2022, the Samurai Blue stunned Spain in the Group E match 2-1 to qualify for the last-16. Along the way, Germany crashed out of the tournament on goal difference in the group stage.

"With a minute to go, I was thinking about the 'Tragedy of Doha' but exactly at that time, the players came aggressively to challenge for the ball," Moriyasu said. "I could feel that the times have changed. These players are playing in a new age of Japanese football."

Japan endured immense pressure from a young Spanish side in the first half, trailing 0-1 before firing two quick goals in the second half to snatch a famous victory on Thursday night.

"Spain are one of the best teams in the world and we knew before the game that this was going to be very difficult, and indeed it was," Moriyasu said. "But the players persisted and they persevered and they turned the tide of the game.

"Everybody was excited that we were able to play as one again. There were many fans who came all the way from Japan, as well as those that stayed at home. We are gifting this win to the people of Japan, and we are very happy about it."

Moriyasu came under fire for his tactics when Japan went down against Costa Rica in their second match after upsetting Germany in their opening match.

Japan bounced back in their must-win match against Spain, producing a carbon copy of tactics against Germany. However, Moriyasu credits his players for securing last-16 qualification.

"During training, we confirmed a few things and the players gave me some ideas. We decided that we were going to defend and try to counter attack ... it was a choice of all of us collectively," Moriyasu said.

Japan finished at the top of Group E and will take on the 2018 runners-up Croatia on December 5.