Japan's men may not have been able to emulate their female counterparts in winning a medal at the London Games, but the performance of both teams has taken the nation's soccer to a new global standing.
Nadeshiko Japan returned from the Olympics with a silver medal to add to the title it captured at the Women's World Cup in Germany last year, while the men missed out after losing to Mexico in the semifinals and South Korea in the bronze-medal match. Going home empty-handed was always going to be painful after making it as far as the final four, but Takashi Sekizuka's side can nevertheless be proud of what it achieved over a thoroughly impressive two weeks.
A disappointing 1-1 draw with New Zealand in the team's farewell friendly suggested another frustrating campaign might be in the cards, but a shock opening win over Spain soon set the tone for the rest of the tournament. Sekizuka's men drew confidence from the way they troubled their hotly fancied opponents, and the final scoreline could easily have been more comprehensive than the 1-0 that now stands forever in the record books.
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