Japan team faces coach Troussier, an old friend of a nostalgic era

Coach Troussier and the Japanese team won the 2000 Asian Cup

At 6:30 p.m. on January 14 at Al Thumama Stadium, the Japanese team, who hold the record of 4 Asian Cup championships, will meet the Vietnamese team and their "old friend" coach Troussier - who is considered by the AFC to have played an important role in the rise of Japanese football on the global stage.

In its focus article, the AFC recalled the tournament 24 years ago when coach Philippe Troussier led the Japanese team to defeat the then-dominant Saudi Arabia team in Beirut to win the 2000 Asian Cup.

After bringing home the continental championship for the second time in history, two years later, coach Philippe Troussier helped the Japanese team reach a historic milestone when they entered the knockout round of a World Cup for the first time.

22 years have passed since that historic event, the French strategist has chosen Vietnam as the next destination in his "missionary" journey.

The joy of victory of Coach Troussier and the Japanese team at the 2002 World Cup

The wheel of history has been cleverly arranged when the Vietnamese team will face the Japanese team, the opponent who stopped us in the quarter-finals of the 2019 Asian Cup with a minimal 1-0 victory, from Ristu Doan's 11m penalty determined by VAR technology.

According to AFC: The Japanese team won the 1992 Asian Cup and participated in the 1998 World Cup. Since the arrival of coach Philippe Troussier, they have continued to raise Japanese football to new heights.

Coach Troussier with stars like Hiroshi Nanami, Naohiro Takahara and young talents Shunshuke Nakamura, Shinji Ono won the 2000 Asian Cup, became runner-up in the Confederations Cup by defeating Cameroon, Canada, Australia and drawing with Brazil.

At the 2002 World Cup, the Japanese team with stars like Hidetoshi Nakata and Junichi Inamoto had their first victory in World Cup history against Russia, then defeated Tunisia, had an unbeaten record in the group stage to pass the World Cup group stage for the first time and created a football fever that covered the whole country.

Coach Troussier still has the same desire at the age of 68

The Japanese team was eliminated in the round of 16 by Turkey, who later finished third at the 2002 World Cup, but coach Troussier and his team can hold their heads high in praise.

AFC assessed that although the "White Witch" left soon after, he had established a team that raised the level of football across the country and inspired a generation of young people who would help Japanese football grow stronger in the following two decades.

At this time, Coach Troussier will meet the Japanese team again but as an opponent while leading the Vietnamese team towards the goal of participating in the Asian Cup knockout round for the third consecutive time.

It will be an emotional meeting, as coach Troussier, at the age of 68, still has the same aspiration: to create a new generation of players to inspire long-term improvement in Vietnamese football, just like he did in Japan - considered by the AFC as the greatest period in his coaching career.

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