VOLGOGRAD -- Needing only a point against already-eliminated Poland to become the only Asian team to survive the group stage of the 2018 World Cup, Japan were not inspired to action in Volgograd, instead they had to rely on Lady Luck.
Down 1-0 to Poland in the final match of Group H, but with Colombia beating Senegal by the same scoreline and ensuring Japan would qualify by virtue of a better yellow card record, the Samurai Blue spent the last few minutes doing what they do best: passing and passing but this time there was no effort to cross the halfway line.
- For the alternative take on Japan's antics, read Alex Shaw
It may not have been fair on the Africans and it may barely have been play, rather than "fair play," but none of that matters now as Japan are through. They did what they had to do, though fortune certainly lent a helping hand.
At a World Cup you do anything you can to progress. And a bit of luck can take you a long way.
The events in Volgograd added to an unorthodox few weeks in the history of Japanese football. If the Samurai Blue do get into the quarterfinals for the first time or beyond, this will not be a blueprint widely studied by others.
Firing coach Vahid Halilhodzic in April was a bold move, despite poor results and reports of a breakdown in trust and communication with players under the Bosnian. But if that was bold, appointing Akira Nishino as the short-term solution was not, given the 63-year-old's conservative credentials.
The announcement of the 23-man World Cup squad saw big names in and some youngsters left out. But it did not inspire. With an average age of over 28, it was the oldest squad that Japan had ever taken to a World Cup.
Perhaps expectations being low (and they were very low), helped going into the opening game against Colombia. Group H looked wide open but Japan had often struggled against South American opposition and ended a dismal 2014 campaign with a 4-1 loss against the same team.
The turning point of the whole group for Japan may well have come inside the first few minutes of the first game. A red card for Colombia's Carlos Sanchez, the resulting penalty successfully converted, and the Samurai Blue were on their way to three points.
Ultimately it took the team until the second half to take advantage of their one-man advantage but once they did, they moved the South Americans all over the Saransk pitch. The 2-1 victory was the first ever Asian win over South American opposition at a World Cup and Japan were up and running.
The midfield, and especially Takashi Inui and Gaku Shibasaki (both based in Spain), looked solid and confidence grew in the Senegal game. There were some shaky moments against the Africans but it was encouraging that twice Japan came from behind to earn a 2-2 draw -- the first time the team had done so on the global stage.
So ahead of the final game, everything seemed to be in place. Confidence? Check. Mental strength? Check. A favourable scenario? Check. Only a draw was needed against a Poland team that had been far from impressive in losing against Senegal and Colombia and had nothing to play for but pride.
Nishino ditched his conservative nature, however, and surprised many by making six changes when it was expected that he would once again name an unchanged team. Yuya Osaka had looked dangerous in attack but was left out, as was Inui.
Japan are not the kind of team that rest players for the second round when they are not there yet, but Nishino took a gamble. It was the kind of move that looks great if it comes off, but it didn't and if Japan had gone out, Nishino would have faced quite an inquest when back in Tokyo.
Japan had chances but were too passive and it was not a major surprise when Poland took the lead. Had goalkeeper Eiji Kawashima, guilty of mistakes that led to goals in the previous two games and the one player most in danger of losing his place, not pulled off two world-class saves then it could have been very different.
But with minutes remaining, any kind of urgency went from the game. Poland were happy with the win; Japan were happy to keep the ball and pass it around and not put themselves in a position where they could concede another goal or a yellow card.
These were not scenes to do the World Cup proud but while it may have looked the ultimate in safety-first football, it was extremely risky: had Senegal scored, Japan would have been out. Nishino put Japan's fate in the lap of the Gods and, once again, got away with it.
Just like qualification, it doesn't matter how you get there, the crucial thing is to do it.
Japan will need to improve against stronger opposition in the knockout stages, but the same can be said of plenty of the teams still in the tournament. Japan are still there; they got there by virtue of "fair play" and though it wasn't very fair at the end, they won't care.