Japanese football fans praised Italian coach Alberto Zaccheroni on Sunday after he guided Japan to a record fourth Asian Cup title with a 1-0 win over Australia in Doha.
"Victory for Zaccheroni Japan," read the headline in the Nikkan Sports newspaper. Thousands of fans celebrated the win in the streets of Tokyo's Shibuya entertainment district after Tadanari Lee's volley in the 109th minute gave the Blue Samurai the win.
Fans chanted "Nippon! Nippon!" after the match ended at about 2:30 a.m. local time on Sunday.
The mass circulation Asahi Shimbun ran a four-page special edition with a banner headline that read "Japan, the champions of Asia."
The 57-year-old Zaccheroni, who took over from Takeshi Okada after the World Cup, won praise from both Japanese fans and media for his ability to get the most out of his young players.
He used 21 of the 23 players on his squad. Against Australia, he moved hard-working Cesena fullback Yuto Nagatomo into midfield and the player responded by supplying the cross for Lee to volley home the winner.
"Zaccheroni quickly grasped a feeling for his players and that was obvious by the performance of the team in Doha," said office worker Makoto Inoue, who stayed up late to watch the match.
Japan Football Association president Junji Ogura told Japanese media in Doha that he was pleased with the decision to hire Zaccheroni.
"I feel we have chosen a great coach and the players have complete confidence in him," Ogura said.
Zaccheroni surprised many in Japan when he chose 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.
"At times, we found ourselves in difficulties, in numerical disadvantage," said Zaccheroni. "But this team has always found the necessary resources to win the match."
The former AC Milan and Juventus coach was chosen by the JFA after an exhaustive search that dragged on for months. He signed a two-year deal with an option of two more years, despite a lack of experience abroad and at international level.
