Japan v Spain, 01 December 2022

Kick-off: 10.00pm local (7.00pm GMT) . FIFA world ranking: Japan 24, Spain 7 . At kick-off at this final group game, all four teams in Group E were still in with a chance of progressing to the knockout stage. . To qualify for the Round of 16, Spain knew avoiding defeat would suffice. They same applied to Japan, with the proviso that – if they drew – they would also need the other group game (Costa Rica v Germany) to result in a draw. Germany won 4-2, so Japan qualified as group winners and Spain as runners-up above Germany on goal difference. . Excluding penalty shoot-outs, Spain were unbeaten in five preceding games at the World Cup finals against Asian opponents (won three). . Excluding penalty shoot-outs, Spain were unbeaten in their preceding seven games at the World Cup finals (won three). . Spain had won their final group game in eight of their previous nine appearances at the World Cup finals; also a 2-2 draw with Morocco in 2018. . Alvaro Morata became the second player to score in his first three appearances in the World Cup finals for Spain after Athletic Bilbao legend Telmo Zarra in 1950 in Brazil. . Japan qualified for the knockout stages at consecutive World Cup finals for the first time. . Japan became the third team to win two games at an edition of the World Cup finals despite being behind at half-time in both; also Brazil in 1938 and Germany in 1970. . Japan avoided failing to score in consecutive games at the World Cup finals for the first time since 1998. . Japan had won one and lost three of their preceding four games at World Cup tournaments. . Hajime Moriyasu became the third Japanese manager to lead his home nation into the knockout stages of a World Cup finals after Takeshi Okada in 2010 and Akira Nishino in 2018. . Spain won the only previous meeting; 1-0 with a goal from Valencia’s Rubén Baraja in a friendly played in Cordoba in April 2001. .