Thierry Henry on Japan being eliminated from the FIFA World Cup after losing to Brazil:
ð£ïž âThis is the cruelest side of football. Japan gave everything they had for ninety-five minutes, pushed one of the greatest football nations in history to the edge, and yet they're the team going home. That's a heartbreak that will stay with those players forever.â
âThey didn't lose because they lacked courage. They didn't lose because they stopped believing. They lost because against teams like Brazil, one single moment is enough to destroy ninety minutes of extraordinary football.â
âI hope these players don't let this defeat define them. They have earned the respect of the entire football world. They came here as underdogs, but they leave as a team every nation will remember.â
âThe tears you're seeing tonight are not tears of failure they're the tears of players who gave absolutely everything for their country. Sometimes football can be incredibly unfair, and this is one of those nights that will hurt for a very long time.â
âBrazil survive, but Japan leave with their heads held high. Sometimes football doesn't reward the team that captures hearts it rewards the team that takes its final chance. That's why this game is so beautiful... and so brutally unforgiving.â