Takehiro Tomiyasu may be called upon to make a major contribution in Japan's upcoming World Cup round of 16 game versus Croatia with his team's defense weakened by the loss of Ko Itakura to suspension.
The 24-year-old has not yet started a game in Qatar, but he said Saturday he is 100% recovered from the hamstring injury he suffered earlier in the tournament and primed to carry Japan forward.
"I am happy that we are through the group stage but our objective is to play the quarterfinals, so there is one more to go from here. We will do what we have to do on the pitch," he said after training in Doha.