Nagasaki city is the hometown of director Moriyasu and captain Yoshida, and a public screening was held in conjunction with the Japan national team match to support the team.
Even though it was early in the morning, more than 70 local supporters gathered at the venue, the Nagasaki Civic Hall, to cheer them on.
In the first half of the match, when Spain scored the first goal, the crowd let out a big sigh.
However, in the second half, substitute Doan Ritsu’s powerful shot leveled the score and the crowd stood up and clapped their hands in joy. When TANAKA Aoi came in and scored the winning goal, the crowd erupted in applause.
In the closing stages of the match, the home team’s Yoshida showed strong defensive effort, and the cheers were particularly loud.
The match ended as it was, and when Japan’s advancement to the final tournament was decided, the people at the venue immediately stood up and gave a big round of applause as the team won the comeback victory.
A man in his 30s, who cheered with a message that read, “Yoshida and Moriyasu, the pride of Nagasaki,” said, “I wrote this to convey my feelings to the two people of Nagasaki. I hope they aim to be the best in the world, I was talking.
Yuji Yokota, president of Yoshida’s supporters’ association, said: “I never thought we’d come from behind, so it was a great match. I think Yoshida’s experience of working hard overseas has proved useful in today’s match. I’m really proud,” he said.
