Sanfrecce Hiroshima weren't among the favorites to win the J. League this season, but they did. And no one was sure if Hajime Moriyasu's men had enough left in the tank for the Club World Cup, but they've managed to win two of two so far.
Wednesday's semifinal against South American champions River Plate will be no different for Sanfrecce, just another game for them to disprove the critics — and potentially become the first Japanese club to reach the Club World Cup final.
"The more you play, the greedier you get," Sanfrecce striker Hisato Sato said on Monday, the morning after his team swept past African champions TP Mazembe 3-0 in a quarterfinal at Nagai Stadium. "We want to play Barcelona in the final.