Japan’s heartbreaking 3-2 loss against Belgium in the round of 16 on Monday night left thousands of fans in tears as the Blue Samurais crashed out of World Cup 2018 despite putting in a spirited performance at Rostov-On-Don.
Nacer Chadli’s last-gasp winner in the 90th minute of the match ended the Asian team’s dream run in what was their best-ever performance in a World Cup with six goals in four matches
Japan was carrying the hopes of millions of people being the only Asian team in the round of 16 but their rampaging run ended in vain as Belgium became the first team to come from two goals down to win a World Cup knockout round match since Germany’s 3-2 triumph over England in the 1970 edition.
Passionate Japanese football fans fought back tears and wondered what could have been.
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 Okada, 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,” she said.
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 shootout… it’s crushing,” he said.
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 Kenta Saito, 61, a former school soccer coach and a qualified referee.
“They had chances at the end but they couldn’t grab them,” he said.
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 5 a.m. local time.