23 Jun 2005(Thu)

TOKYO (June 22): Well, are you ready for tonight?

Could it be the Miracle of Cologne?

Maybe it could. You never know, especially as Brazil's head coach, Carlos Alberto Parreira, has said he is resting the likes of Ronaldinho and Kaka for the decisive Confederations Cup clash with Japan.

But it doesn't matter who is missing, because whoever comes in will be good.

I think Japan's biggest hurdle to overcome is psychological, rather than from a footballing point of view.

I know Brazil are good, but they are not supermen, and Mexico proved this by beating them the other day.

So if Japan enter the match in this frame of mind, and try and ignore the history and the awe of the famous canary yellow shirts, then they could do all right?

Could win? Well, I don't know about that, because they must stop Brazil scoring in the first place, which will be difficult.

If Brazil score once, Japan will need to score twice, and this team does not look like it is bursting with goals, does it?

Brazil, remember, can draw and advance to the semi-finals, while Japan must win, and this is not a bad situation for Japan really.

Brazil may relax a bit, play for the draw, and then Japan can hit them with a sucker punch near the end, from Oguro, of course.

That scenario is not beyond the realms of possibility, so Japan must play calm and composed, and keep it 0-0 for as long as possible, before looking for that vital goal.

If they score too early, this may wake Brazil from their slumber, make them angry and make Japan pay for their cheek!

Whatever happens in Cologne tonight, though, Japan can count the Confederations Cup campaign a success, thanks to the 1-0 victory over the European champions Greece.

This was a fine performance by Japan, whose passing and movement ripped apart the big and clumsy Greeks.

Were Greece ever that good anyway, even in winning Euro 2004?

I was never that convinced, and they haven't done much since in their World Cup qualifying group, and Japan proved this.

Still, the performance of the Greeks, and Japan's catalogue of missed chances, should not detract from Japan's achievement.

It must rank as one of the best results in the history of Japanese football, as the Confederations Cup is the second biggest FIFA tournament after the World Cup.

So my message to the fans ahead of tonight's match is: Relax and enjoy it.

I really hope Japan can win, and lay to rest the myth that Japan will never be able to beat the mighty Brazil.

ends