The Wolfsburg atmosphere at that evening seemed overwhelmed by a happy ending for the home side towards the third title at global stage. But went on as far as the first period of the extra time. In the middle of great hope around the stadium, an attack from the blue Samurai suddenly stunned the whole hearts of the Frauen Nationalmannschaft. They truly got torn apart and into pieces seeing the ball sent home behind Nadine Angerer's net. End of the story became a historic momentum for the Japanese sides as they made through the last four for the very first time.
German failure seemed to be illustrated by their inability to score many goals during the tournament. Despite the 4-2 win over France, the 2009 world champions played far under their supposed class. It should have been a beautiful swansong for the legendary Birgit Prinz, taking the curtain down by lifting the trophy. But, that is what the story goes: football always gives you an unknown surprise and it is how the game retains the position as the greatest show on Earth.
Meanwhile, Japan's success is a symbol of a determined hard work with typical Japanese spirit. They have been impressive through the campaign with a better-organized play than ever before. All the players play their role significantly from the very defense to offense. Playing with such teamwork, every opponent is supposed to stay awake before the final whistle has blown. At the quarterfinals, Japan showed how to manage brave heart against the most favorite side. They kept their movements nothing to lose just usually shown by an underdog. In their humble opinion, Germany were very strong so that they kept the pace, marking every space with tight control, but not forgetting the match's goal: a victory.
In the semis, another heavyweight opponent is ready for Japan. It is going to be a harder work because the Swede were a bit better than Germany during the tournament. They topped the group stage with solid performance and are seeming enthusiastic to be the third European side to win the World Cup. While playing Germany under hard pressure of the crowds, in couple hours to go Japan are going to put their mental strength to overcome the on-fire Viking ladies. It is going to be an interesting showdown to wait for.
