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Japan media praise new Blue heroes

“Surprised the world; endured a gruelling 120 minutes,” the Asahi Shimbun headlined, praising a fighting Blue Samurai team who eventually lost 5-3 on penalties after 30 minutes of scoreless extra-time against Paraguay.

Substitute Oscar Cardozo scored the decisive spot-kick at the Loftus Versfeld stadium after Japan’s Yuichi Komano had smashed his penalty against the crossbar.

The shoot-out was needed after 120 minutes of football ended 0-0, with both sides feeling the tension as they bid to reach the quarter-finals for the first time.

But the top-selling Yomiuri Shimbun declared that “bravery will be remembered”, daring readers to dream “for four years’ time” when the 2014 World Cup is staged in Brazil.

Television networks aired telephone interviews with Japanese players’ proud mothers, emotional grandparents and former high-school coaches who watched the game in South Africa or at home in Japan.

Prime Minister Naoto Kan hailed the side’s performance in reaching the World Cup’s knockout stage for the first time on foreign soil.

“They showed the world the real strength of Japanese football by working as a team,” Kan said in a statement. “I applaud them for their brave battles.”

Japan made history in South Africa in claiming their first World Cup victories abroad against Group E rivals Cameroon and Denmark while losing to the Netherlands.

Having lost all three group games on their 1998 World Cup debut in France, Japan reached the last-16 when co-hosting the tournament with South Korea four years later.

This time around, the Blue Samurai’s strong showing surprised many at home and defied the low expectations of fans more familiar with Japan’s previously timid performances.

“Japan has finally begun its battle on the world stage,” the Yomiuri said.

“This experience surely will become the flesh and blood of Japanese football. It was a precious 120 minutes,” chimed the Asahi Shimbun.

The performance prompted a fickle public to heap praise on head coach Takeshi Okada, who has gone from much-maligned zero to hero over the course of four football matches.

Micro-blogging sites such as Twitter heaved with laudatory posts, and apologies for previous invective.

Okada guided Japan to a winless World Cup debut in 1998 in his first job as national coach. French disciplinarian Philippe Troussier coached them to the second round in 2002 on home soil.

Japan then made an early exit in Germany four years ago under Brazilian legend Zico when they were crushed by Brazil and Australia and drew with Croatia.