On a night when a positive result was more important than a positive performance, Japan emphatically delivered both.
Thursday's 3-1 win over Denmark not only sent Takeshi Okada's side into the second round of the World Cup, it also gave the nation arguably the greatest night in its soccer history.
The confidence, maturity and resilience that shone through Japan's victory in Rustenburg paints a picture of a team looking ever more comfortable in its own skin. Paraguay will be no pushover in Tuesday's last-16 clash in Pretoria, but the World Cup rewards those with the wind in their sails and Japan is going from strength to strength as the tournament progresses.