Japanese fans crushed by last-gasp loss in World Cup

Japanese soccer fans at a public viewing venue in Tokyo were left devastated early yesterday after their team lost to Belgium in a World Cup round-of-16 match. The Samurai Blue looked on track to reach their first quarter-final after going 2-0 ahead,
Japanese soccer fans at a public viewing venue in Tokyo were left devastated early yesterday after their team lost to Belgium in a World Cup round-of-16 match. The Samurai Blue looked on track to reach their first quarter-final after going 2-0 ahead, only to see Belgium snatch a 3-2 win with an explosive counter-attack in stoppage time. PHOTO: EPA-EFE

TOKYO • Japanese soccer fans fought back tears and wondered what could have been after a last-gasp goal by Belgium crushed their dreams of a historic World Cup quarter-final berth in heartbreaking fashion.

The Samurai Blue looked on track to reach their first quarter-final 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 Osada, who burst into tears at a Tokyo sports bar 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."

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 shoot-out... It's crushing."

Belgium became the first side to win a World Cup knockout game from two goals down since 1970, making the loss all the more gut-wrenching for Japan and their supporters. "Just a little bit more... It was a harsh result," said Mr Kenta Saito, 61, a former school soccer coach and a qualified referee. "They had chances at the end but they couldn't grab them."

Tokyo's iconic Shibuya pedestrian scramble, normally the site of post-game revelry, was markedly more subdued as fans staggered out of sports bars into the harsh early daylight after the game wrapped up at about 5am local time.

Still, supporters tried to take away positives from the result, taking pride in a better performance than in the 1-0 loss to Poland that saw Japan advance from the group stage on the strength of a better disciplinary record.

REUTERS

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on July 04, 2018, with the headline Japanese fans crushed by last-gasp loss in World Cup. Subscribe