Japan

‘Nippon: forever in our shadow’: the banner still motivating Japan against Socceroos | Paul Williams

23-Mar-2022 16:30:34 | The Guardian

Japanese fans have never forgotten the Green & Gold Army’s message from the stands at a 2009 World Cup qualifier

“Nippon: Forever in our Shadows” read the banner draped in front of the Green & Gold Army in the Great Southern Stand – now the Shane Warne Stand – at the MCG in 2009 as the Socceroos took on Japan in their final World Cup qualifier on the road to South Africa 2010.

Australia and Japan had already qualified for South Africa, but the match would decide who finished top of the group. It meant both nothing and everything. Bragging rights and a claim to supremacy were at stake. For the fans, and for the players, that meant something.