November 1997...

Japan 3-2 Iran
Japan Scorers: Nakayama 39, Jo 75,
Okano 119 - Golden Goal

Deemed as one of the most important games in Japan's history up until that point, this was played at the neutral venue of Johor Bahru, Malaysia, on Sunday night, November 16th and I made it my mission to be there!

I remembered watching Japan fall at the fi nal hurdle of qualifi cation for the FIFA World Cup 1994 - in USA - on October 28th 1993. To this day, it is still referred to as in Japan as ド ーハの悲劇 – the Doha Tragedy. A win against Iraq would see Japan qualify for the World Cup, and Japan led 2–1 as the game went into injury time and then – a loss of concentration, Iraq drew level, and South Korea went to USA 1994 on goal diff erence. Although Japan has since played at four consecutive World Cup fi nals, ドー ハを忘れるな – Never Forget Doha – will remain a rallying cry for fans for a long time to come. But, I digress... this is about 1997!

What a weekend it was. I fl ew into Singapore and hopped into my friend’s Mercedes and drove – in style – to the border with Malaysia. On arrival in Johor Bahru, very close to the Singapore border, I was greeted by a sea of blue. A full day and a half before the game, Japanese were already fl owing into the small town. By game time estimates put the attendance at about 17,000+ Japanese fans, 3000 or so locals and 13 Iranians! The rest is history. Japan went through on goals from Nakayama, Jo and that “Golden Goal” from Okano and a World Cup is now the norm.

I was fortunate enough to be granted access – and given photographer privileges – to the previous day’s training session, as well as to the game itself. I spoke with Kazu at length at the hotel, made a new friend in Shoji Jo, and generally felt part of the team! I am pleased to have the opportunity to share some of my pictures from that weekend here with you now. Legendary names formed a talented team – Kazu, Ihara, Nakata, Nanami, Nakayama, Okano, Kitazawa, Kawaguchi, Akita, Lopes, Jo, Soma, Narahashi, Yamaguchi, Omura, Morishima... what a generation of players!

These pictures have never been published, or even displayed anywhere until now. Enjoy!

Alan Gibson

See the full article (and the exclusive pictures) in this issue of JSoccer Magazine!