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Japanese fans join the party Posted: Tuesday June 04, 2002 3:36 PMUpdated: Tuesday June 04, 2002 3:40 PM
By Patrick Snell, CNNSI.com TOKYO -- The fever has finally hit Japan. Before Tuesday's game against Belgium it was possible to wonder if the co-hosts truly appreciated the magnitude of the event they were staging. But Japan's rousing 2-2 draw has at last ignited a passion for football. Having lost all three matches at France 98, the public's expectations were not high going into these finals. But after winning the Asian Cup in 2000 and with improved results over the last year, some had the feeling this would be Japan's best chance to make an impression on the world stage. Under French coach Philippe Troussier, they have started brightly and the country is now right behind them. They are still to win a match in the finals but they came close in front of their own fans -- and the drawn match meant their first point in World Cup finals. The story led national news bulletins, special edition news papers were on the streets within about an hour of the final whistle and the bars were bustling with Japanese fans in replica blue team shirts celebrating with a point pint. It made a refreshing change to the usual mix of English, Irish and Swedes who have made Tokyo's Roppongi nightlife scene their base. In a land where baseball seems to dominate the minds of sporty teenagers, football could temporarily take centre stage -- providing Troussier's team continues to impress. World Sport reporter Patrick Snell is in Japan covering the World Cup
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