During his three years as Japan manager, Alberto Zaccheroni has generally kept it dry, remaining a cool customer when speaking to the media.
But on the eve of Wednesday's Confederations Cup match against his native Italy, the normally reserved Zaccheroni admitted to being overwhelmed by a matchup he never dreamed of seeing.
"This game is just another stop on the road toward the World Cup for Japan, but for me, clearly it means a lot more than that," Zaccheroni said.