Things didn’t turn out the way Wataru Endo will have hoped during his time at the Asian Cup. Japan were considered one of the favourites for the tournament. However, from the beginning they struggled.
Endo’s side suffered an upset in just the second group-stage game losing to underdogs Iran. But before that, Japan were also less than convincing against Vietnam, only managing to beat the minnows by 4-2.
In the end, they managed to get as far as the quarter-finals – where Endo’s side would be eliminated by a cruel 96th minute gut-wrenching blow by Iran, who were awarded a penalty and converted it to win the game 2-1.
Considering this was a Japan side in great form, who impressed at the World Cup – being eliminated at this stage has disappointed a lot of supporters in Endo’s homeland. Now as he prepares to return to Liverpool, the 30-year-old has issued a response.
Wataru Endo message
Posting on his social media Twitter account, Endo expressed his gratitude to supporters. He also revealed that he had learned something at the tournament.
“Thank you for supporting the Asian Cup,” Endo said. “This tournament made me realise once again that being number one in something is not easy, no matter how big or small it is.
“I think the performance of the Iranian players and the atmosphere in the stadium created by the Iranian supporters deserved the victory. As captain, I will continue to think about what we can do to make the Japan national team even stronger.
“Dear fans, please continue to fight together to achieve our big goal of winning the World Cup. Thank you for your continued support of the Japan national soccer team.”
The lessons Endo learned will have been important in his career development. They are also useful lessons for him to take back to Liverpool. Where the Japanese captain will once again fight to be the best. This time around though we hope he achieves different results.
Receive a digest of our best Liverpool content each week direct to your mailbox
