Changing coach breathed life into Japan’s World Cup campaign

Changing coaches on the eve of the World Cup can be fraught with danger. The Spaniards and last-minute replacement coach Fernando Hierro were surprisingly eliminated by Russia in a penalty shootout after a timid and uninspired performance. For Japan, however, the decision to sack Vahid Halilhodzic just two months before the World Cup appears to have been justified despite the team’s last-minute defeat to Belgium in the round of 16 on Monday night.