Honda believes Japan will reach Quarter-Finals
Opeyemi Oladunjoye
Keisuke Honda has said he believes his home country, Japan, will produce a miracle at the FIFA World Cup and reach the quarter-finals.
Th 27-year-old attacking midfielder, who touched down in Brazil with the Japan squad at the weekend declared that the Blue Samurai are ready to take on the world.
“Firstly, we can 100 percent get through our group,” Honda said in an interview with local media, ahead of Japan’s opening game against Ivory Coast on June 14.
“After that anything can happen at a World Cup. We’re good enough now to reach the quarter-finals. Obviously we all need to stay fit but if we do the basics right 100 percent, no mistakes, we can get to the quarter-finals. From there we can make miracles happen.”
Japan, who will also face Greece and Colombia in Group C, underwent intense warm-weather training in southern Japan and Florida before flying to Brazil.
“I’m not talking idealistically, I’m being realistic,” said the AC Milan player. “That’s where the past 10 days of training will pay off.”
Japan’s best FIFA World Cup performances so far were reaching the Round of 16 as co-hosts with South Korea in 2002 and again four years ago in South Africa.
Honda, who scored twice in Japan’s 4-3 win over Zambia in Florida on Friday, continued: “Do you believe in miracles or do you make them happen,” said the 27-year-old. “If we only believe in miracles and that basis disappears, it will be difficult to get through our group.”
