Japan beat Spain 2-1 to finish on top of Group E and qualified for the second round of the FIFA World Cup finals at the Khalifa International Stadium in Doha, Qatar, on Thursday evening.
The Blue Samurai came from behind to beat La Roja, who have also qualified for the last-16 despite losing their third and final group stages match.
La Roja took the lead when Alvaro Morata netted his third goal in this tournament in the 11th minute. The Blue Samurai scored two goals in a space of three minutes. Ritsu Doan equalised three minutes into the second half and Ao Tanaka scored Japan’s second goal in the 51st minute.
Meanwhile, Germany failed to make it to the knockout stages despite defeating Costa Rica 4-2 in another Group E match, which was played at the Al Bayt Stadium in Al Khor.
