Samurai Blue arrive with unprecedented confidence after toppling Brazil and England in friendlies

Impressive results have fuelled belief that Hajime Moriyasu’s side can not just survive against the best but beat them too

Samurai Blue arrive with unprecedented confidence after toppling Brazil and England in friendlies

This is the first Asian side entering a World Cup where success and failure will be judged not by group-stage survival or an upset, but by how far they progress in the knockouts.