In the early part of the second half of Japan’s World Cup round-of-16 match against Belgium, they were riding high with a comfortable 2-0 lead. That all came crashing down in the 69th minute as Belgium scored, then scored again five minutes later, and then scored one last time in the final seconds of play. Belgium will continue on to the quarterfinals after winning 3-2.
A roller coaster of emotions was visible on the faces of Japanese fans watching the game in person in Russia or around the world, who in the span of 30 minutes went from on the cusp of victory to a crushing defeat.