For 45 minutes at Saitama Stadium on Wednesday, Japan looked like it had the measure of its more illustrious opponent Argentina and would have been justified in believing that an upset was a distinct possibility.
Such beliefs were emphatically dispelled in a two-minute burst early in the second half, during which Argentina scored two goals to seal a comfortable 2-0 victory.
"We are disappointed to lose but happy with our performance," explained Masakuni Yamamoto, standing in for absent Japan coach Zico, who returned to Brazil after his mother passed away. "We showed today that we are slowly making progress."