Things didn’t turn out the way Wataru Endo will have hoped during his time at the Asian Cup. Japan were considered one of the favourites for the tournament. However, from the beginning they struggled. Endo’s side suffered an upset in just the second group-stage game losing to underdogs Iran. But before that, Japan were also less than convincing against Vietnam, only managing to beat the minnows by 4-2. In the end, they managed to get as far as the quarter-finals – where Endo’s side would be eliminated by a cruel 96th minute gut-wrenching blow by Iran, who were awarded a penalty and converted i…
