The Asian Cup favorites Japan will embark on a new journey this Sunday (14th) when they face Vietnam in their Group D opener. The Blue Knights were deeply affected by the earthquake that struck Ishikawa Prefecture at the beginning of the month. At the pre-match press conference on Sunday, head coach Mori Boichi expressed his wish that the Japanese team would bring a little joy to the affected people with a good performance.
The earthquake that struck the Noto Peninsula in Japan's Ishikawa Prefecture is a source of deep concern for Mori Koichi and his team, and he said, "The entire team is closely monitoring the disaster, and we are aware that we have a special mission. The earthquake on New Year's Day killed and injured many Japanese people, and a large number of people are still affected. As a soccer team, all we can do is to play great matches on the pitch and use soccer to bring joy to the affected nationals and people affected by the war around the world." As a traditional powerhouse in Asian soccer, Japan is still considered the favorite to win the Asian Cup, to which Mori said, "Our goal is to win the championship, but we have to take it one game at a time."
