The ultimate lost cause; a win of historic proportions. A game of literal inches; a night of monumental drama. One former World Cup winner is out. Another no longer looks like potential champions. Japan, against that, have emerged as one of the stories and revelations of this tournament.
Kaoru Mitoma’s heroic chasing of a ball that seemed certain to go out of play saw Ao Tanaka score a goal for the ages on another night that will reverberate through football history. It didn’t just mean Japan did to Spain what they did to Germany with another 2-1 comeback. It meant they finished ahead of both in the group to subject Germany to the humiliation of elimination and Spain to the embarrassment of finishing second after having almost everything their own way.
