Japan the Giant Killer" : Japan vs Germany - Qatar World Cup

Japan is not known to be a major soccer nation, but during this world cup, it is proving to be a quiet giant killer.

The Japanese team surprised and exhilarated the world with a display of "organization and intensity".

One of the "hidden advantages" that the Japanese team had for this match-up was that 8 of the Japanese squad are based in the Bundesliga in Germany.

This means that the Japanese coaching and strategy team had a lot of first-hand experiences to draw from when preparing for the match, whereas the German staff probably had to prepare by analyzing past performances.

All said it was a wonderful starting game.

During the follow-up game last night, I needed to visit our local supermarket.
The usually busy shop, had a totally deserted parking lot!
Everyone was stuck in front of the television urging the Japanese national team "Samurai Blue" to another miracle win or draw against Costa Rica - which was alas, not to be...

The rest of the tournament is going to be an exciting time in Japan this Christmas season.

Go!Go! Japan!
Go!Go! Samurai Blue!