[Saba Sports News] In the World Cup Round of 32, Japan suffered a heartbreaking 1-2 defeat to Brazil in stoppage time and failed to qualify for the next round. After the match, malicious comments flooded the social media accounts of Ao Tanaka, who was seen in tears. In the 33rd minute of the second half with the score tied at 1-1, Ao Tanaka came off the bench to replace Daichi Kamada, who was already carrying a yellow card. However, during second-half stoppage time, he lost possession while handling the ball in his own half. Brazil seized the chance to score the devastating match-winning goal. After a gruelling contest, Japan lost 1-2 and exited the tournament at the Round of 32 stage. In the aftermath, Ao Tanaka’s Instagram page was inundated with critical remarks, including slanderous and threatening hate messages. Apart from abusive posts written in Japanese, hostile and provocative comments in other languages also surfaced.
The editor believes that Ao Tanaka started against Tunisia and Sweden in the group stage and delivered outstanding performances on both offense and defense. That is why many comforting and encouraging messages flooded Japanese social media, such as “Come back with your head held high!”, “Thank you for being the heart of Japan”, “We are so proud of you!”, and “Show them what you’re made of in four years!”.