There was a brief moment of silence inside Khalifa International Stadium after Takuma Asano scored Japan’s second goal against Germany in their World Cup opener.
What had transpired was beyond the comprehension of the stunned German fans.The patient Japanese were awaiting the call for an offside.
After the goal was upheld, it was chaos.
“I was bouncing. I began to scream. I fell and hurt myself, but I don’t care,” Kayde, a Japanese fan who was 13 years old when the match ended, told Al Jazeera outside the stadium.
In the first game of Group E on Wednesday, Japan overcame a goal deficit to defeat Germany 2-1 in Doha. This victory followed Saudi Arabia’s shocking victory over Argentina on Tuesday by the same score.
After a dominant performance, lkay Gündoan scored a penalty in the 33rd minute to give Germany the lead.However, Ritsu Doan (75′) and Asano (83′) scored two goals in the second half in the span of eight minutes to make them pay for their mistakes.
Kayde and Takashi, his father, flew into Qatar from the United States to cheer on their home nation’s team.
It was beyond belief.We were anxious when Japan scored the first goal because the Germans always come back stronger, but they didn’t,” Takashi stated.
This was not the end of his anxiety.I set a timer on my phone and stared at it when added time appeared on the screen until the referee whistled.
Knichi, another Japan fan who went to Qatar on his own, said he needed a moment to process what had happened.
“I need a break, so maybe I’ll go to the FIFA Fan Festival and meet some Japanese fans to celebrate with.He waved his hands and said, “My heart is going up and down.”
In 1998, Japan competed in its first World Cup, but it failed to advance beyond the first round.In 2002, it co-hosted the tournament with South Korea, and in 2010 and 2018, it did so again.
The Blue Samurai’s fans were in complete disbelief, and Knichi stated that Japan’s victory over the 2014 world champions would go down as the tournament’s best.
“If you had asked me before the game for a prediction, I would have said that Japan would lose.Probably a draw.A win?Not taking place.
Is it a public holiday?
Another Japanese individual, Kosuke, stated that his native countrymen would remain up all night.
In reference to the Saudi government’s decision to declare Wednesday a public holiday following their upset victory over Argentina, he said, “They will be watching, partying, and then waiting for tomorrow to be announced as a day off, just like Saudi Arabia.”
On Wednesday, the Japanese fans who traveled from all over the world and from their home country got their money’s worth, and they can’t wait for Sunday’s match against Costa Rica.
Germany, on the other hand, will play Spain, who defeated Costa Rica 7-0 later on Wednesday.
The humiliation they suffered in Japan brought back painful memories of their unsuccessful World Cup campaign four years ago in Russia, when they failed to advance beyond the first round.
Thomas, a German fan, told Al Jazeera, “Everything that could go wrong, went wrong for us,” as more of his fellow fans trudged off in silence with drooped shoulders and folded flags.
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