HOUSTON - Bleary-eyed fans in Tokyo struggled to come to terms with Japan's World Cup exit after watching their heartbreaking 2-1 defeat to Brazil in the early hours of Tuesday morning.
Japan took the lead in their last-32 clash against the five-time champions in Houston, but Brazil equalised before Gabriel Martinelli scored the winner in the 95th minute.
The goal knocked the stuffing out of the 200 or so fans who had gathered to watch a match that kicked off at 2am. Japan time at a public viewing in central Tokyo.
Japan beat Brazil for the first time in a friendly in October last year in Tokyo and their supporters believed they could shock them again.
The time difference between the World Cup in North America meant fans in Japan were able to watch their team's three group-stage games at a reasonable time, with most kicking off around breakfast time or even later.
The fans gave a collective gulp before kick-off as they watched Brazil's players sing their national anthem in their iconic canary yellow shirts, blue shorts and white socks.
But apprehension turned to joy in the 29th minute when Japan midfielder Kaishu Sano drove upfield before sweeping the ball past Brazil goalkeeper Alisson for the opening goal.
The nerves returned when Brazil equalised 11 minutes into the second half, and the tension reached fever pitch when the South Americans laid siege to the Japanese goal as the game moved into injury time.
Martinelli punctured Japan's hopes when he popped up at the death to score the winner, leaving fans to stagger out into the Tokyo morning in search of answers.
Japan had said they were aiming to win the World Cup, an ambitious target for a team that had never won a knock-out game at the tournament.
That unwanted record remains after their latest disappointment, but supporters were at least proud that they had given Brazil a run for their money.
- by Andrew Mckirdy (AFP)