As dawn broke in Tokyo, Japan fans had dared to believe their team was about to make World Cup history. But a few short minutes later, the dream was over.
As dawn broke in Tokyo, Japan fans had dared to believe their team was about to make World Cup history. But a few short minutes later, the dream was over.
At a bar in a Tokyo business district, the air went out of the room as Belgium found the net in extra time, scoring a third goal to seal Japan’s fate.
Just a short while earlier, whoops of joy had filled the pub in Tokyo’s Shinagawa district as the Blue Samurai scored a second goal, defying expectations to go 2-0 up over star-studded Belgium.
But when the final whistle went with Belgium winning 3-2 to end Japan’s latest shot at World Cup history, fans sat in virtual silence, staring in disbelief at the screen.
«I’m so frustrated,» 32-year-old Ryota Iwakiri said bitterly, trying to comprehend the sudden collapse, as others around him tried to hold back tears.
«The game was like a roller-coaster. They let us dream of a victory at one point. They really had good momentum,» said Yuki Kakishita, an employee at a real estate agency.
Fans at the bar, some dressed in their team’s blue strip and sporting Japanese flags painted on their cheeks, had exploded with joy when Takashi Inui scored the team’s second goal.
