AL-AIN, United Arab Emirates, Jan. 27 (Xinhua) -- Japan coach Hajime Moriyasu said here on Sunday that his side must be more aggressive to express their own football to beat Iran at the semifinals of 2019 Asian Cup.
The four-time champions will face Iran in Al Ain on Monday, seeking to win their first continental crown since 2011.
"We know Iran is a tough and difficult opponent and we will try our best to win," said Moriyasu. "The players know that we are playing with persistence and we are trying to express our team concept in every match. I want them to play aggressively and hopefully get results tomorrow."
As one of the traditional powerhouses in Asia, Japan's performance have been spotty during the tournament as they won five in a row but all by the margin of just one goal.
The Samurai Blue had only 23 percent of possession when they defeated Saudi Arabia in the last 16. However, Moriyasu has no problem with the small-margin victory.
"Winning is very important no matter how we play. How many we can score is only secondary. We are still in the tournament because we keep winning.
"We are not a perfect team and also not a mature team, so we are developing in every game we play," he added.
Moriyasu, who won the Asian Cup as a player with Japan in 1992, has the opportunity to become the first to win the Asian Cup as both player and coach.
