Japan won the World Cup in 2011, and what should have been an era of excellence was squandered by bad coaching and complacency. Now, 12 years later, they appear poised to win it all again.
An inspired Atletico Madrid humiliated city rivals Rayo Vallecano with a 7-0 demolition job on Monday, with substitute Alvaro Morata scoring twice and midfielders Saul Niguez and Rodrigo de Paul giving two assists each.
Bernardo Silva has said he “didn’t sleep” after his penalty miss against Real Madrid but credited the “unbelievable” support of his Manchester City teammates as helping him through.
