“We stand a chance against everybody, Japan will be a different match, they are a younger team but have many high-quality players,” Andersen said.
“Physically, we were a bit down when competing with Palestine [1-0 win in last-16] and Iran,
but against Japan, I think maybe we can be the more physical, stronger side, because they are playing with many under-19 and under-20 players.
“It was a great victory against Iran, we trained well and, tactically, we prepared well. We saw some weaknesses we could exploit.
“Our big task was to not concede an early goal, and to be strong at the back. At half-time, I told the players to take more risks, then we would get some chances and Iran would grow more tired. That is exactly what happened.
“The players are fantastic, we are improving every day in training and matches … everything is still possible.”
“Beating Iran is a very important win for the young players, for their improvement in the future,” he said. “We have now found a way to play, we have to play aggressively, in attack and defence.
“We’ve done it two times against strong teams, which is the big point. I tell my players, ‘If we are competing with these opponents, we are on a good way’. It was not a lucky win against Iran. They pressed us, they pushed us, but they had only two or three big chances.”
Asian Games 2023: raging North Korea footballers attack referee following defeat by Japan
https://www.scmp.com/sport/football/article/3236501/asian-games-2023-raging-north-korea-footballers-attack-referee-following-defeat-japan