TOKYO: Japan fans have applauded their national soccer team after its bid to make the quarter finals of the World Cup for the first time fell inches short.
Thousands of fans swarmed the streets of Tokyo decked in their blue uniforms in an early morning drizzle, chanting and cheering despite a grueling loss to Paraguay that sent the "Samurai Blue" out of the tournament.
The teams fought to a scoreless draw through extra time, then Japan lost on penalties after defender Yuichi Komano sent his shot just high and it caromed off the crossbar.
Japan advanced to the round of 16 for the first time ever outside of its home country. Little was expected of the team, ranked 45th in the world and in poor form during warm-up games.
But fans were captivated after first-round victories against Cameroon and Denmark. For Wednesday’s game, bars and restaurants in Tokyo were standing room only despite the 11 p.m. local time kickoff, with patrons watching raptly throughout the match and some breaking down into tears after.
"This really hurts, I thought we could do it," said Ase Yokoyama, 21, a university student who stayed out into the early hours to watch the game with his friends in the central Shibuya district.
"But this team was the most fun of any national team so far."
The celebration started hours before the game, as revelers with Japanese flags painted on their faces and blue vuvuzela horns poured into the city center. With many shops sold out of national team jerseys, fans snapped up plain blue T-shirts and drew on logos and numbers.
After the loss, thousands crammed into Shibuya’s central crossing, dancing and singing in support of their team despite the rain and early hour. Dozens of police arrived in large riot buses to keep carousers away from traffic and make fruitless pleas for everyone to go home.
The result was front-page news on all the major newspapers Wednesday morning, and TV news shows repeatedly played highlights of Japan’s four games. The team last advanced when it hosted the World Cup with South Korea in 2002.
Prime Minister Naoto Kan issued a statement thanking the team.
"The players and the bench were united and showed the world the potential of Japanese soccer. I sincerely congratulate their efforts," he said.
Many fans chanted in support of coach Takeshi Okada, who was widely ridiculed before the tournament when he still set a goal of reaching the semifinals despite the team floundering. Some still questioned his tactics.
"It’s tough to lose on penalties, we should have put more firepower on during extra time and gone for the win," said Hideyuki Ikeda, 27.
