🚨 Pep Guardiola on Japan being eliminated from the FIFA World Cup after their defeat to Brazil:
🗣️ “Sometimes football gives you a result that doesn’t reflect the quality of the performance. Japan leave this World Cup, but they leave with enormous respect. They played with courage, discipline and incredible organisation against one of the greatest teams in football history. That deserves recognition.”
“I feel for the players because I know how painful nights like this can be. You invest months, even years, preparing for moments like these, and then everything is decided by a few details. The dressing room will be silent tonight, but they should never confuse disappointment with failure. They made an entire nation believe.”
“Brazil have qualified, and they deserve credit for finding a way to win. But Japan showed the football world that success isn’t only measured by trophies. They defended with intelligence, attacked with bravery and competed until the very last moment. This team has inspired a generation of young footballers across Japan.”
“Football has a strange way of rewarding those who keep believing. Tonight ends with heartbreak, but I have no doubt this Japanese team will come back stronger. The foundation is there, the mentality is there, and if they continue on this path, their biggest moments are still ahead of them.”
{@DailyMail }
🚨 Zlatan Ibrahimović on Japan crashing out of the 2026 FIFA World Cup after their heartbreaking defeat to Brazil:
“Football can be very cruel. Today Japan leave the World Cup, but they leave with their heads held high. They pushed Brazil to the edge, made them suffer and forced one of the greatest football nations in history to fight until the very end. That’s something no one can take away from them.”
“I don’t want to hear anyone calling this a failure. Failure is not giving everything. These players gave everything. They ran, they fought, they believed and they represented their country with incredible pride. Sometimes football rewards you, sometimes it breaks your heart. Today it broke Japan’s heart.”
“I saw the tears after the final whistle, and those tears tell you everything. They cared. They believed they could make history, and for a long time they looked capable of doing exactly that. The result hurts, but the performance deserves respect from the entire football world.”
“If Japan continue producing players with this mentality, this won’t be the last time they surprise the biggest nations. They have shown courage, discipline and personality throughout this tournament. Today they lost the match, but they won the respect of millions of football fans around the world.”
{@FoxNews }