Fans lament end of Japan's brave run in World Cup | Inquirer Sports

Fans lament end of Japan’s brave run in World Cup

/ 07:20 PM December 06, 2022

all - FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 - Fans in Tokyo watch Japan v Croatia - Tokyo, Japan - December 6, 2022  Japan fans react as they watch the penalty shootout at the Bee bar

FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 – Fans in Tokyo watch Japan v Croatia – Tokyo, Japan – December 6, 2022 Japan fans react as they watch the penalty shootout at the Bee bar REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon

TOKYO —Japan supporters lamented the team’s 3-1 penalty shootout loss to Croatia at the World Cup in Qatar, crushing their nation’s dream of advancing to the quarter-finals.

Some Samurai Blue fans watched the match in a Tokyo sports bar, undeterred by the rain and a midnight start. They booked their seats at the bar in hopes of witnessing Japan reach the last eight for the first time, but were sorely disappointed.

Article continues after this advertisement

“My mind went blank … I had no emotion whatsoever,” 21-year-old university student Shun Hasegawa said on Tuesday with tears welling up in his eyes as he described the moment Japan lost the shootout.

FEATURED STORIES

“The match was decided by a penalty kick, so it was a 50-50 chance for Japan to win or lose. I think penalty shootouts are a bit like a random draw … it’s just so frustrating to think that there was a 50% chance that Japan could have won,” he added.

Fans in turn clutched at their hair and whelped with joy as they watched Japan open the scoring through Daizen Maeda in the 43rd minute, before an equalizer by Croatia’s Ivan Perisic left the two teams deadlocked at 1-1 until the penalty shootout.

Article continues after this advertisement

Spot kicks by Takumi Minamino, Kaoru Mitoma and Maya Yoshida were all kept out by Croatia’s Dominik Livakovic. Ultimately, a stunned silence fell when the Croatians secured the win as Mario Pasalic sent Japan keeper Shuichi Gonda the wrong way.

Article continues after this advertisement

“It was so fun to watch from start to finish, and it really left an impression on me,” said 35-year-old Ryosuke Kabe.

“Every single player put everything they had on the line. It was moving to watch them all fight with everything they had.”

The Samurai Blue had staged a stunning turnaround against Spain to reach the knockout rounds for the fourth time by topping their group after they started the tournament with a comeback win over Germany before losing to Costa Rica.

RELATED STORIES

World Cup: Croatia advances as Japan crumbles in shootout

Japan departs with big wins in World Cup but quarterfinal dream unfulfilled

Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again.
Your subscription has been successful.

Subscribe to our daily newsletter

By providing an email address. I agree to the Terms of Use and acknowledge that I have read the Privacy Policy.

TAGS: Japan, qatar world cup

Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again.
Your subscription has been successful.

Subscribe to our newsletter!

By providing an email address. I agree to the Terms of Use and acknowledge that I have read the Privacy Policy.

© Copyright 1997-2024 INQUIRER.net | All Rights Reserved

This is an information message

We use cookies to enhance your experience. By continuing, you agree to our use of cookies. Learn more here.