Japanese soccer fans did not get the win they wanted but took heart from their team’s grit as the Samurai Blue came from behind twice to draw 2-2 with Senegal, keeping their hopes of an improbable place in the World Cup last 16 on track. Japan looked on
Japanese soccer fans did not get the win they wanted but took heart from their team’s grit as the Samurai Blue came from behind twice to draw 2-2 with Senegal, keeping their hopes of an improbable place in the World Cup last 16 on track.
Japan looked on the verge of defeat in their second Group H match until veteran Keisuke Honda fired home the equaliser 12 minutes from time, sending supporters into a frenzy in the stadium and at sports bars across Tokyo.
“They’ve been great. I want them to keep playing hard,” Shintaro Sakamichi, a 23-year-old civil servant, said above the raucous cheers at the M-Spo pub in Shibuya, where some people brought drums, horns and giant flags to recreate a stadium feel.
“I thought the best they’d do against Colombia would be a draw but now I have higher expectations,” he said, referring to Japan’s 2-1 victory in their opening game.
