Our approach will be same in the semifinal: Japan coach

Dubai - Moriyasu has faced criticism in Japanese media for the team's unconvincing displays in their four wins before Thursday's clash

The Samurai Blue's resilience in their narrow 1-0 win over the tricky Vietnam team in the AFC Asian Cup quarterfinal pleased head coach Hajime Moriyasu on Thursday.
Moriyasu has faced criticism in Japanese media for the team's unconvincing displays in their four wins before Thursday's clash.
But Japan came up with a much better performance against the talented Vietnam team.
"It was very important that we won. Our players were able to keep the clean sheet. It was another experience for us in terms of development as a team," said Moriyasu who had snubbed experienced players like Shinji Kagawa and Shinji Okazaki for the Asian Cup to give the youngsters a chance to taste the big stage.
"Vietnam have a very tight defence and they never give up," he said. "So it was very difficult to create chances. But today Japan moved the ball well. Yes, at times we did lose the ball, but we managed to create chances."
But Moriyasu admitted that his attacking players must improve their finishing in the semifinal.
"It would have been better if we had scored more. Vietnam played with patience. But we need to improve our accuracy in the final third. Overall the players did well. They did what they needed to do," he said.
Moriyasu, though, said his team wasn't scared of Iran - the team they could face in the semifinals.
While Japan, South Korea and Australia have been on a roller-coaster ride in the UAE, Iran have been consistently brilliant.
"It doesn't matter who we will play. We will prepare for the game well in the next three days," Moriyasu said.
"Our approach would be same. Of course, your strategy changes depending on your opponent. We have had different experiences in different matches. We had defended deep against Saudi Arabia. So we have learned from all these experiences."
rituraj@khaleejtimes.com