FIFA World Cup 2026: “Japan closing gap on Brazil,” says Nagatomo bef…

Houston [US], June 29 (ANI): Ahead of Japan’s FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 32 clash against Brazil, veteran Yuto Nagatomo said he believes his country has made greater strides over the past two decades and is steadily closing the gap on the five-time world champions. newsindata.com

Speaking to Japan’s news outlet Kyodo News, Nagatomo said Japan’s rate of improvement has outpaced Brazil’s in recent years.

The former Inter Milan fullback gave his views as the team departed their base camp near Nashville, Tennessee, which he called the most comfortable he has had in his five World Cups.

“If we’re talking about these past 10, 20 years, I think Japan have upped their level more than Brazil have," Nagatomo was quoted as saying by Kyodo News.

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“It’s not whether Brazil have upped theirs or not, I simply believe that our margin of improvement is bigger. I’ve felt we’re closing the gap on them," he added.

The experienced fullback also reflected on Japan’s dramatic Round of 16 exit to Belgium at the 2018 FIFA World Cup, where the Samurai Blue squandered a two-goal lead to lose 3-2.

“We just relied on our momentum against Belgium," he said. “Even when we were 2-0 up, we kept going forward and no one was trying to see the game out. There wasn’t anyone speaking out either."

Nagatomo stressed that game management and composure are crucial for teams hoping to make deep runs at major tournaments.

“In that sense, you need smartness and calmness and guile as well I suppose to go deep in tournaments. You need to know how you want the game to play out, whether to finish it in 90 minutes or go to extra time and penalties. Having that uniform idea within the team is extremely important," he said.

Earlier, Nagatomo created history on Thursday (local time) by becoming the first Asian player to feature in five FIFA World Cups during Japan’s Group F match against Sweden in the 2026 edition at Dallas Stadium on June 25 (local time).

The 39-year-old has previously featured in the 2010 South Africa, 2014 Brazil, 2018 Russia, 2022 Qatar, and 2026 Canada-Mexico-United States tournaments, making him one of the most enduring figures in international football. With this appearance, Nagatomo also became only the 10th player in football history to feature in five or more World Cup editions.

The elite list includes Lionel Messi (6 editions), Cristiano Ronaldo (6 editions), Luka Modric, Luis Suarez, Manuel Neuer, Lothar Matthaus, Andres Guardado, Rafael Marquez, Antonio Carbajal, and now Yuto Nagatomo, who have played five editions, respectively.

Meanwhile, Brazil’s first-place finish in Group C extended their remarkable record of topping their World Cup group for a 12th consecutive tournament. The five-time champions have finished first in their group at every World Cup since 1982, maintaining an extraordinary 44-year streak of group-stage dominance. (ANI)

(This content is sourced from a syndicated feed and is published as received. The Tribune assumes no responsibility or liability for its accuracy, completeness, or content.)

India’s Kidambi Srikanth ended his impressive run with a runner-up finish at the US Open Super 300 badminton tournament after going down fighting in three games to Chinese Taipei’s Su Li-yang in the men’s singles final here.

The 33-year-old Srikanth, a silver-medallist at the 2021 World Championships, recovered from the loss of the opening game to force a decider but couldn’t match the pace and intensity of world No. 46 Su, who is nine years his junior.

Srikanth eventually lost 15-21, 21-16, 9-21 in a physical battle that lasted just over an hour here on Sunday.

He had also ended second at the Malaysia Masters Super 500 and Syed Modi International Super 300 last year.

Playing his first final of the season, the former World No. 1 was the quicker off the blocks but a rare error, where his racquet crossed the net during a rally, appeared to disrupt his rhythm as a string of unforced mistakes allowed Su to open up a 7-2 lead.

Srikanth, however, regrouped to win eight of the next 11 points and draw level at 10-10 after a series of fast-paced rallies. His powerful smashes proved crucial, helping him edge ahead by a point at the mid-game interval after Su smashed wide.

However, the Chinese Taipei shuttler wrested back control after the break, quickening the pace of the rallies and using subtle deception to force errors from Srikanth. He soon extended his lead to 17-12.

A cross-court smash followed by a delicate net shot helped Srikanth reduce the deficit to 14-18, but another error handed the initiative back to Su.

Su earned six game points with a thunderous smash. The Indian saved one before sending the shuttle long as Su wrapped up the opening game in 17 minutes.

After the change of ends, the contest remained evenly poised with neither player giving an inch. From 4-4, Srikanth reeled off three straight points to move 7-4 ahead, capping one extended rally with a superb cross-court block at the net.

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Another breathtaking rally followed, with Su making the Indian cover every corner of the court before restoring parity at 8-8.

A deft backhand cross-court net shot took Srikanth to 10-8, and he entered the interval with a three-point cushion after Su smashed wide.

Su responded with two thunderous smashes after the break, but Srikanth’s excellent net play helped him maintain a 14-10 advantage.

The Chinese Taipei player broke the rhythm with a flat push into the corner to close the gap to 13-15 as Srikanth sprayed two shots wide.

Su then sent one long before Srikanth’s cross-court return made it 18-13. The Indian won the next flat exchange and earned seven game points when Su again went wide. Although Su saved three game points, Srikanth forced the decider with a powerful down-the-line smash.

Su came out firing in the deciding game, opening with a lightning smash before putting Srikanth under sustained pressure to race to a 4-1 lead.

Maintaining his aggression and injecting greater pace into the rallies, Su surged to 7-4 before another rocket smash made it 9-5. Srikanth alternated between moments of brilliance and costly errors, often undoing his good work with loose shots. A judgment error on the baseline allowed Su to carry a four-point lead into the interval.

Srikanth was then denied permission by the chair umpire to change his shirt, leaving the Indian visibly upset. Su remained firmly in the zone, continuing his aggressive approach to widen the lead to 15-7.

Another pinpoint line-hugging winner was followed by a net error from Srikanth. Although the Indian produced a fine cross-court smash, it proved too little, too late as Su stretched his advantage to 18-8.

Su eventually earned 12 championship points after another wide return from Srikanth. The Indian saved one before Su clinched the first BWF World Tour title of his career.

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Also Read:

• Free Fire MAX Redeem Codes Today June 29 Indian Server Bring Free Rewards
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• TEZ Free Fire Max India Cup 2026 Fall: Complete Format Explained

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The post Free Fire MAX Redeem Codes Today June 29 Indian Server Bring Free Rewards appeared first on Inside Sport India.

Saudi Arabia football federation president Yasser Al-Misehal resigned from his post on Sunday as a result of the national team’s early exit from the World Cup.

The Saudis finished bottom of Group H with two points and were eliminated after drawing with both Uruguay and Cape Verde and losing to Spain.

“The national team’s failure to qualify for the next round of the World Cup is a result that falls short of all our ambitions,” Al-Misehal wrote on social media.

“I bear full responsibility for it, apologising to everyone who hoped to see our team in a better position.

“Based on my conviction that responsibility requires providing the opportunity for a new phase, I have decided not to continue until the end of the current term.” Al-Misehal had been in the role for seven years and was heavily involved in Saudi Arabia’s successful bid to win the hosting rights for the 2034 World Cup.

Saudi Arabia were appearing at their third consecutive World Cup and seventh in total but their preparations were hit by the decision to replace Herve Renard with Georgios Donis less than two months before the tournament kicked off.

The results come after the government had poured huge sums in the sport over recent years, with Saudi clubs signing high-profile players including Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar Junior in an effort to boost standards within the country.