On the Philadelphia pitch, Japan came from behind two times to equalize against the Netherlands. The 2-2 leveling goal came in the 88th minute from Daichi Kamada, following a corner kick setup.

However, starting from the 87th minute, coach Hajime Moriyasu and his assistants garnered attention by raising a whiteboard displaying the number 3, concluding with the number 1 written in red pen. Earlier in the match, the coach, born in 1968, also displayed a board with the number 45 written in black pen.

Japan coach Hajime Moriyasu holds up a board with the number 3 in the 87th minute during their 2-2 draw against the Netherlands in their opening match of Group F at the 2026 World Cup, played in Philadelphia in the US on 14/6. Anh: Reuters

A video compiling these moments was posted on X by Argentina's TyC Sports television channel, captioned: "Moriyasu's method. The Japanese coach gave instructions using a tactical board". The video subsequently attracted over 8 million views and went viral on social media.

The British newspaper The Sun described this as a "classic" and "unique" method. The paper explained that the numbers, ranging from 3 to 1, corresponding to minutes 87 to 90, were intended to inform the players on the pitch of the remaining time.

Conversely, Japan's Gekisaka newspaper suggested that the number 45 was a specific tactical signal used within the team.

Coach Moriyasu's method shares similarities with American football, where some teams often display large boards in the technical area. These boards might show numbers indicating remaining minutes or seconds, or the jersey number of a player the coaching staff wishes to communicate with. Occasionally, they use random images or symbols to convey tactical instructions.

Moriyasu's sideline instructions also became a topic of discussion during the post-match commentary on Britain's ITV channel. Former Australia and Tottenham coach Ange Postecoglou commented: "I guess Japan's time management is excellent. I just wish they had something similar to replace 'be brave' and 'play to your ability'".

Following this, presenter Laura Woods asked Gary Neville if he had ever employed such tactics at Valencia. The former Manchester United player jokingly replied: "No, that wasn't a tactic I used. When I saw the number 6 on the board, it was the number of goals we had conceded".

Coach Hajime Moriyasu cries while singing the national anthem and saluting the Japanese flag before the match against the Netherlands. Anh: Sponichi

Despite the widespread attention, many fans debated the practicality of displaying boards to indicate remaining minutes. They argued that players could easily see this information by looking up at the large screens positioned around the stadium.

Before the match, coach Moriyasu also drew attention with an emotional moment, shedding tears while saluting the flag and singing the national anthem. According to Japanese media, this display of emotion highlighted coach Moriyasu's deep love for his country and pride in participating in the world's largest football tournament.

This marks Moriyasu's second World Cup with the Japan national team. In 2022, his team caused a stir by defeating Germany and Spain in the group stage, but their journey ended in the round of 16 after losing to Croatia in a penalty shootout.

At the 2026 World Cup, Moriyasu emphasized that Japan aims to win the championship. This is an ambitious goal, as the Asian representative has never reached the quarterfinals.

After the draw with the Netherlands, Moriyasu stated that he was not entirely satisfied with securing only one point. "Our goal was to win three points. So, from that perspective, I am somewhat disappointed", he said.

Japan and the Netherlands currently share one point each in Group F. Sweden leads the group after a dominant 5-1 victory over Tunisia. In the second round of matches on 21/6, the Netherlands will face Sweden, while Japan will play Tunisia.

Compiled by Trung Thu