I’m usually not one to put much credence into supernatural influence in sports.
At the end of the game, it’s not destiny or divine intervention or fate that determines the winner or loser. It is the athletes on the field on that particular day.
Still, after watching Japan pull out its
thrilling shootout victory over the United States Sunday in the 2011 women’s World Cup final, I couldn’t help but feel that some source beyond the flesh-and-blood individuals on the pitch was at work.
The circumstances coming into the match and, more emphatically, the way things played out br
ought me closer than I’ve ever been to believing that some results were just designed to be.
Japan is a nation still in mourning.
The devastating Tohoku earthquake and tsunami that struck the nation on March 11 left nearly 21,000 people dead or missing. The full damage from the resulting meltdown at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant may not be known for years.
There has been so little to feel joyful about.
So I don’t know what the reaction was in Japan when Saki Kumagai rifled her shot into the net that put Japan up 3-1 in penalty kicks and clinched its first World Cup. But it was about 6:20 a.m. in the Land of the Rising Sun when Kumagai scored.
Hopefully the biggest upset in women’s World Cup final history brought even just a moment of joy and happiness to a nation still in shock from a horrific event.
Maybe Sunday, actually Monday in Japan, the “Nadeshiko,” or beautiful flower, as the women’s team is called, put a smile on the face of a nation that needed something to smile about.
It was just a game, but sometimes a game is the best thing that you have at the time.
“It’s not an easy time for Japan at the moment,” Japanese goalkeeper Ayumi Kaihori said. “I feel we have given some kind of encouragement and joy to the people back in Japan. That was always the motivation.”
I don’t mean to take anything away from the Japanese players because they played amazing soccer and deserved the title. Still, something supernatural also seemed to be at work.
The United States dominated play for the first 30 minutes and should have ended the match with two or three early goals.
During that ridiculous half-hour when USA chances found every way possible to miss the back of the net, you could sense something in the air, something that wasn’t going to let the United States win.
Still, even with all of the failed chances, the United States took a 1-0 lead on a goal by Alex Morgan in the 69th minute.
In 35 previous World Cup games, the United States had never lost a game during which it had scored first. With 21 minutes remaining, history said it was a solid bet that the USA would become the first three-time women’s World Cup champion.
Then, Aya Miyama scored in the 81st minute for Japan to send the game into extra time.
The United States again appeared to have captured the title when Abby Wambach scored to make it 2-1 in the 104th minute.
But Japan had one miracle left. Most fittingly, it came from 32-year-old Homare Sawa, who first played for her country when she was 15.
Sawa got a touch on a corner kick in the 117th minute to redirect it by U.S. goalie Hope Solo to send the game to penalty kicks.
In 1999, the United States beat China, 5-4, on penalty kicks to claim the title. Last Sunday, on the 12-year anniversary of that championship, Team USA beat Brazil, 5-3, on penalty kicks to advance to the semifinals.
The United States had never missed in a World Cup penalty kick shootout (10-0).
Against Japan, Shannon Boxx, Carli Lloyd and Tobin Heath missed the first three penalties.
That was two blown leads and three missed penalties by a nation that never did either.
“We lost to a great team,” Solo said. “I truly believe that something bigger was pulling for (Japan). As much as I’ve always wanted (to win the World Cup), if there was any other team I could give this to it would have to be Japan.”
I agree with Solo.
Until this summer, Japan had never won a game in the knockout phase of its five World Cup appearances. The Japanese stunned two-time defending champion and host nation Germany in the quarterfinals, then beat a strong team from Sweden to reach the championship game.
In 25 meetings before Sunday’s World Cup final, the United States was 22-0-3 against Japan with an aggregate score of 77-13.
I don’t believe the metaphysical aspects of sports, but watching that game, it sure seemed like something definitely decided that Japan needed this World Cup victory more than the United States did.
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