Former Spain national team player Andrés Iniesta, who witnessed the dramatic come-from-behind victory over Spain at the World Cup soccer tournament in Qatar, watched the match as a commentator for Spanish broadcasters, etc., on NHK. In response to the interview, he evaluated Japan's battle, saying, "I didn't let Spain show its original characteristics."
As a member of the Spanish national team, Iniesta has participated in a total of four World Cups, including winning the 2010 South Africa tournament. I am watching the competition.
Iniesta, who witnessed the match between Japan and Spain on the 1st, cited the organized defense as the reason for Japan's win, stating, "I think they did better than I imagined, especially in terms of defense. The opening 10 of the second half. Except for the minutes, all 10 of us focused on defense, and Spain couldn't show their true characteristics.I think it was a 100% effective strategy against Spain."
He also said that aggressive player changes from the start of the second half were the key to the game, saying, "We identified the timing when we needed to take risks, and moved on to offense, especially by bringing in Doan and Mitoma. We got on track. It was amazing that we were able to finish all the attacks we needed in just 10 minutes, and it was an interesting match that exceeded our expectations,” he also evaluated Manager Moriyasu's direction.
On top of that, regarding his impression of Japan through the first league, he said, "In the sense that we have achieved what we wanted by beating Germany and then Spain, I think that making it through the first league will give Japan a lot of confidence. I think Croatia will play differently than Spain, but Japan will be able to produce good results if they believe in their own way of solidifying their defense and focusing on counterattacks in the same way.”