Japan’s World Cup dream ended in the cruelest possible way, and now one player is paying an unfair price for it online.
Ao Tanaka became the target of a wave of hateful messages after Japan crashed out of the Round of 32 following a 1-2 defeat to Brazil. The match had looked destined for extra time until stoppage time turned everything upside down.
Ao Tanaka Online Abuse Floods Social Media
Tanaka entered the pitch in the 78th minute, replacing Daichi Kamada, who was already carrying a yellow card. The score was locked at 1-1, and Japan appeared well positioned to see out the tie.
However, disaster struck deep into second-half stoppage time. Tanaka lost the ball while trying to play out from his own half, and Brazil pounced immediately. The visitors converted the turnover into a devastating winner, sending Japan home at the Round of 32 stage.
As a result, Tanaka’s Instagram page was quickly overwhelmed. Furthermore, the abuse did not stop at Japanese-language comments. Messages in other languages also turned hostile, with some crossing into slanderous and even threatening territory.
Support Pours In Despite the Ao Tanaka Online Abuse
Still, the picture was not entirely bleak. Tanaka had started against Tunisia and Sweden during the group stage, and he delivered strong performances on both ends of the pitch throughout the tournament.
Because of that body of work, many Japanese fans pushed back against the negativity. Encouraging messages flooded in, urging Tanaka to hold his head high, thanking him for representing Japan’s fighting spirit, and expressing pride in his tournament performance. Several fans even pointed to the next World Cup, four years away, as a chance for redemption.
In fact, the outpouring of support may end up outweighing the noise. Japan’s World Cup run is over, but Tanaka’s story, and how he responds to this moment, is far from finished.
