JAPANESE TAKU-WAY

Asano the hero as Germans make a dog's dinner of it

THE GERMAN players put their hands over their mouths during the team photo before kick-off to make a point.

At the end of 90 high-octane minutes, the footballing world followed suit.

Hansi Flick's side wanted to take a stand over an anti-discrimination armband.

Everyone else did so in astonishment.

Put simply, Japan enjoyed the greatest afternoon in their footballing history as they derailed the four-time world champions.

Deserved? Well, the statistics don't tell a lie. Germany dominated for large chunks of this. But the only one that truly matters in football is the scoreline.

And that would have been especially sweet for head coach Hajime Moriyasu and his players because the domestic J-League has modelled itself on German football.

But yesterday, those who the Japanese had placed on a pedestal, were knocked off it in the rudest fashion.

And the scenes of delight that greeted the final blast of referee Ivan Barton's whistle showed the magnitude of the feat.