Japan high on confidence ahead of World Cup after beating England

Japan claimed their first victory over England with a 1-0 win in a friendly at Wembley Stadium on Tuesday (Mar 31), giving coach Hajime Moriyasu confidence that his side can beat anyone at the World Cup.

After two losses and a draw in three previous meetings dating back to 1995, Japan were finally able to savour a victory over England on a memorable evening for Moriyasu's side.

Hundreds of Japanese fans inside Wembley serenaded their heroes at the final whistle, with the ecstatic players dancing with delight on the pitch.

Kaoru Mitoma scored the only goal in a match where England dominated possession but lacked a cutting edge in attack.

Japan are unbeaten since losing 2-0 to the United States in September last year and have recorded wins over Brazil, Ghana, Bolivia and Scotland since then.

"England are a strong team and we had to persevere for a long period. But the players were tenacious and put into practice how to play with patience when things aren't going our way," Moriyasu told reporters.

"It gives us confidence that we can beat anyone. But it was a match we could also have lost. We need to pull our socks up again."

Moriyasu made a number of changes to the side that beat Scotland 1-0 last week and handed a start to Brighton & Hove Albion winger Mitoma, who began and finished off the counter-attack that led to Japan's goal.

"That was the kind of moment we were looking for. That gave us some mental leeway," Mitoma said. 

"It's great we could play the same way despite changes to our members. We'll look to score more."

Japan have reached the round of 16 in three of the last four editions of the World Cup, beating European heavyweights Germany and Spain in the group stage in Qatar in 2022.

They are in Group F for the Jun 11 to Jul