Nagasaki City is the hometown of Director Moriyasu and captain Yoshida, and a public viewing was held in conjunction with the Japan national team match to boost the team.
Even though it was early in the morning, more than 70 local supporters gathered at the venue, Nagasaki Civic Hall, to cheer them on.
In the first half of the match, when Spain scored the opening goal, the audience let out a big sigh.
However, in the second half, Substitute Doan Ritsu’s powerful shot equalized the score, and the crowds all stood up and clapped their hands in joy. When Tanaka Midori pushed in and scored the winning goal, the crowd erupted in cheers.
In the final stages of the match, the local team’s Yoshida displayed a strong defensive effort, and the cheers were particularly loud.
The match ended as it was, and when Japan’s advance to the final tournament was decided, the people at the venue stood up at once and gave a big applause to the team who won the come-from-behind victory.
A man in his 30s who cheered with a message that said, “Yoshida and Moriyasu, the pride of Nagasaki,” said, “I wrote this to convey my feelings to the two people from Nagasaki. I hope they aim to be the best in the world. I was talking.
Yuji Yokota, the chairman 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 abroad proved to be useful in today’s match. I’m really proud,” he said.