In the semi-finals of the European Championship, Spain beat France 2-1 to advance to the final. Unexpectedly, this sparked a frenzy over national team coach Hajime Moriyasu on Japanese media. Japan defeated Spain at the 2022 Qatar World Cup, and under Moriyasu’s leadership, Japan also triumphed over France. Thus, netizens unanimously consider Japan as the strongest team.
The Oriental Sports Network of Japan first praised Spain’s overall performance. In the European Championship semi-final that concluded in the early hours of today, Spain, despite conceding the first goal, rallied with goals from Gavi and Olmo to win 2-1 and advance to the final. They will await the winner of the match between the Netherlands and England in the final. Up to this point, Spain’s performance has been evident to all, winning all three group matches, eliminating host Germany in the quarter-finals, and living up to their moniker as the “Invincible Armada.”
On the other hand, this victory also elevated the praise for Hajime Moriyasu among keyboard warriors in Japan. Because at the 2022 Qatar World Cup, Japan triumphed over both Germany and Spain. Moreover, Japan under Moriyasu’s coaching had also defeated France. If Spain ultimately wins the title, Moriyasu’s reputation will further soar. Following this, the media quoted some comments from Japanese netizens.
Other Japanese netizens commented, “It’s delightful to see Coach Moriyasu, who defeated Spain, acknowledged as the strongest coach on earth.”
Some Japanese netizens even fantasized, “If Coach Moriyasu leads the Japanese team in the European Championship, I hope he can say upon returning home and facing the media, ‘We are the European Champions.'”
