Dejected fans want Japan to continue playing hard
tokyo — Japanese soccer fans fought back tears and wondered what could have been after a lastgasp goal by Belgium crushed their dreams of a historic World Cup quarterfinal berth in heartbreaking fashion.
The Samurai Blue looked on track to reach their first quarterfinal in three last-16 attempts after going 2-0 ahead early in the second half, only to see Belgium roar back and snatch a 3-2 win with an explosive counter-attack deep into stoppage time.
“When we took the lead I thought we were going to win,” said 21-year-old university student Nao Okada, who burst into tears at a Tokyo sports restaurant as the final whistle sounded.
“It hurts but it was a really good game and I feel moved. I want Japan to keep playing hard next time,” she said.
The 61st-ranked Japanese were given little chance of making an impact at the tournament, but their gritty group stage display and last-16 match versus Belgium won over the fans.
“This was a really good team, their passing and scoring and teamwork,” said 39-year-old hairdresser Kenichi Okegami.
“At 2-2 I thought we were heading for a penalty shootout... it’s crushing,” he said.
Belgium became the first side to win a World Cup knockout game from two goals down since 1970, making the loss all the more gutwrenching for Japan and their fans.
“Just a little bit more... it was a harsh result,” said Kenta Saito, 61, a former school soccer coach and a qualified referee.
Tokyo’s iconic Shibuya pedestrian scramble, normally the site of post-game revelry, was markedly more subdued as fans staggered out of bars into the harsh early daylight after the game wrapped up at about 5am local time. —