Saitama: Japan coach Hajime Moriyasu praised central defensive pairing Shogo Taniguchi and Ko Itakura as the Samurai Blue eased to a 2-0 win over China PR at the Saitama Stadium 2002 in their Group B clash in the AFC Asian Qualifiers - Road to Qatar on Thursday to move a step closer to qualifying for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022.
The duo stepped in to replaced Maya Yoshida and Takehiro Tomiyasu after injury sidelined the regular starting pair and provided a solid foundation for the Japanese as goals from Yuya Osako and Junya Ito earned the hosts a fourth consecutive win.
“Both of them were very calm and played well from the beginning of the game,” said Moriyasu. “Even in defence, they showed great skill and strength in each aspect while controlling the team. .....
EAST ASIAN FOOTBALL FEDERATION
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10MA TOPICS! [JAPAN FA] Moriyasu praises defensive duo as Japan inch closer to FIFA World Cup
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