Korea, top level...different style from Japan

Hajime Moriyasu, the head coach of the Japan national soccer team, has labeled South Korea, who they could meet in the round of 16, as a strong team.

Japan defeated Shin Tae-yong's Indonesia 3-1 in the third match of Group D at the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup 2023 at the Altumama Stadium in Doha, Qatar, on Thursday at 8:30 p.m. ET.

In his post-match press conference, Moriyasu said, "We need to have more movement in the offense. We need to focus on keeping a clean sheet in our next game."

With the win, Japan improved to 2-1-1 (6 points) and advanced to the Round of 16 in second place behind group leader Iraq (9 points).

This sets up a possible Korea-Japan matchup in the Round of 16.

The second-place finisher in Group D will play the first-place finisher in Group E in the Round of 16. The top spot in Group E is undecided, but it is likely to go to South Korea, led by Jürgen Klinsmann (GER).

The round of 16 is expected to be a fast-paced affair between two teams that have been touted as favorites to win the tournament and a classic Asian rivalry.

In addition to Korea, the press conference was also asked about another favorite, "Middle Eastern powerhouse" Iran.

"Of all the teams in this tournament, they have 토토사이트 the highest level. They deserve to be in the round of 16. They're both top-level teams, top countries in Asia," he said.

"They play a different style than Japan in many areas, and we respect them (as opponents in the tournament)," he said, adding that "if (the match-up) happens, the fans will see a high level of play."