Japan came into the Asian Cup with plenty of challenges to overcome: a coach with no international experience, several new faces and a list of injuries that only increased during the tournament.
But over the three weeks, the team gelled under former AC Milan and Juventus coach Alberto Zaccheroni and on Saturday won its fourth Asian Cup with a 1-0 victory over Australia.
''I reminded my players what I said before leaving Japan: we go to Qatar, to the Asian Cup, to grow up but we got to win,'' Zaccheroni said. ''We are a good team, the fact that we are younger does not mean we cannot win. We have played we great courage, we always tried to lead the game.''
It was fitting the winner was struck by little known substitute Tadanari Lee, a 25-year-old ethnic Korean who made his debut in the team's opening match against Jordan and scored his first international goal in the final.
This was a team that had its established veterans - Keisuke Honda who plays for CSKA Moscow was named the tournament's most valuable player - but repeatedly turned to rising stars like 21-year-old Shinji Kagawa or other young, bench players to win matches. The average age of the team was only 25.
''At times, we found ourselves in difficulties, in numerical disadvantage, but this team has always found the necessary resources to win the match,'' Zaccheroni said. ''Tonight was confirmation of it. I am proud of them, they gave all they had.''
When the Blue Samurai arrived in Doha, an Asian Cup title seemed a bit too ambitious. The team had lost veteran defenders Yuji Nakazawa, Marcus Tulio Tanaka and Catania forward Takayuki Morimoto to injuries and Zaccheroni admitted it had little time to prepare for the tournament since many of his players were tied up in domestic leagues until days before the tournament.
Zaccheroni's doubts escalated after the team almost lost its opener to Jordan, scoring an injury time goal to come away with a 1-1 tie. But the team's attack awoke as the tournament went along, routing Saudi Arabia 5-0 in its final group stage match and then coming from behind to beat Qatar in the quarterfinals and beating South Korea in a penalty shootout.
''During the previous matches, we grew up,'' Zaccheroni said. ''Psychologically, we develop confidence. We played well with an aggressive style and our control of the ball was precise, effective and punctual.''
The victories, though, didn't come without a cost. The team lost Kagawa in the semifinal to an injured foot and several other players were physically spent coming into the final. The team's captain Makoto Hasebe and Honda didn't practice ahead of the final and striker Shinji Okazaki could barely walk.
Still, injuries to one player - even a star like Kagawa - didn't have a devastating effect on the team as a whole.
''For us also, we knew we are a good team and I think we deserved to win today,'' Japan's goalkeeper Eiji Kawashima said. ''We lost some players through this Asian Cup, especially Shinji Kagawa. We are so happy we could show that we are a team.''
Zaccheroni said he was most proud of the togetherness the team showed on and off the pitch. ''The most important for us is the unity of our team,'' he said. ''All of them, those who have played but even those who did not have the chance to play much or at all contributed to a strong and solid team.''
Zaccheroni was also rewarded for his faith in several players. Borussia Dortmund striker Kagawa was left off the 2010 World Cup squad but almost single-handedly won the game against Qatar. Kawashima only became the starting goalkeeper at the 2010 World Cup and - despite some botched saves against Qatar - was crucial in the team's penalty shootout win against South Korea.
Many of these young players are expected to anchor the team as it begins its bid to qualify for the 2014 World Cup and Australia's coach Holger Osieck said that is a good sign.
''Both teams showed why they deserved to be in final,'' said Osieck, who has coached before in Japan. ''It was what I expected today, a very tight, intense encounter. Like the Korean team, there is a new generation coming up with young prospects and some already have made it to good teams in Europe. They are definitely on a good way.''
