There were about sixty thousand seats in the stadium, and at this moment, not even one seat was vacant.
The stands rose high into the evening sky, a sea of blue and white and red that rippled whenever the wind caught the banners.
Flags snapped and swayed. The air itself seemed to hum with expectation, with the strange, electric pressure that pulsed throughout the stadium as people's breath rose and fell.
By every sensible measure, this was supposed to be a meaningless qualifier. Japan had already secured their place in the World Cup, so the points meant nothing and the result meant less than what it was supposed to mean.
But no one had told the fans.
No one had told the media either; hundreds of journalists packed into the press box with cameras lined up along the touchline and commentators fighting for room in the broadcast booth.
