Japan erupted in cheers and tears after the national team’s 2-1 win over Spain, with crowds in the early hours of yesterday in the nation packing public viewing areas shrieking with joy as they stunned another global soccer power at the FIFA World Cup.
Japan, who had also shocked Germany in their opener in Qatar, finished top of Group E to reach the last 16, a stage where they have faltered three times before.
They are to play 2018 runners-up Croatia for a place in the quarter-finals.
Photo: AP
“Doha Delights Again!” one newspaper headlined its online edition, evoking memories of what the media called the “Miracle in Doha” after Japan’s win over Germany.
Fans chanting “Nippon” poured into Tokyo’s iconic Shibuya crossing before sunrise, jumping and shouting: “Fight, fight, fight” as police struggled to control the crowd.
“I never thought Japan would advance first place in the group,” said 19-year-old Yusei Sato, wearing Japan’s Samurai Blue national team jersey. “Thank you Japan. I love you guys.”
Photo: Reuters
Takuya Kudo, 23, was in tears as soon as he saw Japan win.
“I’m just so happy,” he said. “Honestly, I never thought Japan would do this well. I’m just really thrilled.”
Fans lingering in Shibuya pressed high-fives on bleary commuters making their way to work from one of Tokyo’s busiest stations.
Photo: AP
Social media exploded with joy, exulting “Samurai Blue” and “Came from behind to win,” with some fans posting manga-style drawings of a cheering player in a team uniform.
Another posted a cartoon of three dragons draped in national flags.
The Japanese dragon was roaring while the Spanish dragon eyed Germany, which looked befuddled.
Spain also advanced despite the loss, knocking Germany out of the tournament, even though they beat Costa Rica 4-2.
Japanese tennis player Naomi Osaka’s tribute was a manga-style depiction of the Japan team, while even Tesla CEO Elon Musk tweeted: “Congratulations, Japan!”
The sense of triumph rose even to the nation’s normally staid political heights, with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida telling reporters the win was “historic” and telephoning Japan manager Hajime Moriyasu and Japan Football Association president Kozo Tashima to offer congratulations.
“I told them they gave the Japanese people courage and energy,” Kishida wrote on Twitter. “We are looking forward to the last 16. Fight on, Japan!”
Japan scored twice early in the second half to come from behind and make it to the knockout stages for the second straight World Cup.
“For Asia and for Japan, our victories over Spain and Germany [in their opening match], two of the top teams in the world, is something that give us great confidence and we are very pleased,” Moriyasu said. “Of course, there are many things we still have to learn, but Asia can win in the world stage, Japan can win in the world stage.”
Ao Tanaka scored the winning goal from close range early in the second half. It took about two minutes for video review officials to confirm that the ball had not gone out of bounds before the goal at the Khalifa International Stadium.
Players from both teams looked surprised when it was announced that the goal counted and the Japan players started running toward their bench again to celebrate with their teammates.
“From my angle, I think the ball was clearly half out, but more than that I could not see because of the speed,” Tanaka said. “I was concentrating in scoring. There was always a possibility that it was out ... but in the end it was a goal, so that was great.”
Alvaro Morata scored for Spain in the 11th minute and the 2010 champions were in control until Japan rallied after halftime.
Ritsu Doan equalized in the 48th minute with a left-footed shot from outside the box and Tanaka added the second three minutes later.
MEDVEDEV AWAITS: The world No. 1 Spainiard said that he is ‘finding the right shots’ as he pushed his record so far this year to 16 victories and no losses Carlos Alcaraz on Thursday extended his unbeaten season and got revenge over Cameron Norrie to reach the semi-finals at Indian Wells for a fifth straight year. The world No. 1 from Spain emerged from a see-saw battle with 29th-ranked Norrie with a 6-3, 6-4 victory. In the semis tomorrow, he faces Russian Daniil Medvedev, who pushed his own ATP winning streak to eight matches with a 6-1, 7-5 victory over defending champion Jack Draper. World No. 2 Jannik Sinner powered past Learner Tien 6-1, 6-2 to line up a semi-final with fourth-ranked Alexander Zverev, a 6-2, 6-3 winner over Arthur Fils. Alcaraz, 22, became
Ollie Watkins’ second-half header on Thursday gave Aston Villa a 1-0 win over Lille OSC in the first leg of their UEFA Europa League round-of-16 tie. Just past the hour mark, Ezri Konsa sent a deep pass that Emi Buendia headed to Watkins in the home team’s box. The England forward noticed goalkeeper Berke Ozer was off his line before sending a looping header over him and into the net. Minutes later, Watkins wasted a chance to double the advantage when he failed to score in a one-on-one with the ’keeper. Nottingham Forest were stunned 1-0 by Danish club Midtjylland, with substitute Cho
Thanks to Italy beating Mexico on Wednesday, the US get another chance in the World Baseball Classic (WBC). What looked like a potentially disastrous early exit for US manager Mark DeRosa and his team turned out to be nothing more than substantial worry and significant embarrassment for about 24 hours. It remains to be seen whether the US really want to win badly enough for the reprieve to matter, as if it is just a switch they can flick, but there is little reason for their fans to be optimistic. The team’s attitude and behavior have been all over the place when
Brice Turang and Pete Crow-Armstrong’s consecutive RBI singles proved to be the difference in the US’ 5-3 win over Canada in a World Baseball Classic (WBC) quarterfinal on Friday night in Houston. The US faces the Dominican Republic, which crushed South Korea 10-0 in seven innings in its quarter-final, in a semifinal Sunday in Miami for a spot in Tuesday’s championship. The Dominican team has won all five games in this WBC by a combined margin of 51-10. It appeared the US squad was headed toward a cozy victory when it built a 5-0 lead by the sixth inning. A first-inning RBI groundout
RSS