(Tokyo) The surprise and unexpected victory of the Japanese soccer team against Spain at the World Cup was greeted by a mighty cheer from enthusiastic Japanese at the famous Shibuya intersection in Tokyo early Friday morning.
“Japan, well done! Japan, well done! shouted hundreds of people after the 2-1 victory of the Blue Samurai, singing “Vamos Nippon” and waving the flag of their country, which had already beaten Germany (2-1) at the start of the World Cup.
Dressed in their team’s blue jerseys, some wearing beanies to protect themselves from the cold, the football lovers mingled with the workers in suits on their way to the office: with the time difference, the final whistle in Doha corresponded to the first daylight hours in the Japanese capital.
Regardless of the ball possession of the Spaniards and an equivocal goal of the Japanese, only the victory counted.
“I thought this game would be a bit difficult,” admitted Munehiro Hashimoto, 36, wearing a Japan jersey, with a blue and silver garland on his shoulders. His outfit was topped with a makeshift-blue-samurai helmet, adorned on the sides with the inscriptions in Japanese “assured victory” and “spirit of the samurai”.
“It started at four in the morning (in Japan, Ed), so I was watching it at home. Then they won, so I rushed here. We did it ! »
Revelers danced and cheered, clapping hands with strangers and posing for photos taken by amused folks on their way to work.
“Japan is getting really strong,” said a comedian who had mingled with the Shibuya crowd. “We now have many (players) performing at the highest level. We see that the quality (of the team) is improving, and now they have finally proven it”.
“Fiery Team Efforts”
The celebrations were not limited to the streets. Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida tweeted his “joy” and praised the performance of Japan, which finished first in its group.
“Coach (Hajime) Moriyasu and the players achieved this marvelous result in the most important and critical game ever, under tremendous pressure,” he wrote. “I want to express my sincere respect for the spirited efforts of the team.”
He also called up Moriyasu who had come under pressure after Japan lost to Costa Rica (0-1).
Japanese newspapers printed special editions, the major daily Yomiuri headline: “Japan qualifies for the round of 16, Spain is destroyed”.
As the crowd began to drift away from Shibuya, 28-year-old Masaki Higuchi, wearing a Japanese flag as a cape, was not ready to leave. “They faced difficult times,” he said of his team. “But I think they showed some samurai spirit in the end!” »