In this Saturday's (3rd) Asian Cup match, Japan unexpectedly lost 1-2 to Iran, regretting to stop in the last 8. After the match, Japan's manager Mori Baoichi bravely took the responsibility for the defeat, admitting that he made mistakes in substitution strategy, and encouraging his team to look to the future and prepare for the upcoming World Cup tournaments outside the World Cup.
As the defending champions of the Asian Cup, Japan had high hopes for this year's tournament, but ultimately met their Waterloo in the last eight, a performance that disappointed many fans. Some Japanese fans commented on social media that the performance of the "Blue Samurai" is far from the usual style of soccer of the Japanese team, especially in the match with Iran, which can be described as the worst performance. Immediately after the game, Mori Baoichi called the team circle, the game on the spot review.
