The Samurai Blue of Japan trashed four-time World Cup champion Germany with a remarkable late comeback in their first World Cup game in Qatar.
Germany controlled the game for long stretches but failed to capitalise on their pressure until Japan triggered the Khalifa International Stadium to explode in a combination of joy and astonishment.
Substitute Takuma Asano scored a thundering goal from a tight angle to put Japan up 2-1, and he raced over to the cameras in the stadium in excitement.
Japan’s Asano plays as a winger or a forward for Bundesliga club VfL Bochum. Germany’s coach Hansi Flick brought in Niclas Füllkrug and Mario Götze in a bid to alter the momentum of the game in his favour, but the Germans couldn’t make a breakthrough.
