Head coach Takeshi Okada, left, and Japanese players rush to congratulate Masayuki Okano (14), who scored a golden goal in overtime that gave Japan a 3-2 victory over Iran and a place for the first time in a soccer World Cup.

Hans Ooft tries to console members of the Japanese team who are beside themselves after a last-second goal by Iraq on Oct. 28, 1993, that resulted in a 2-2 draw and crushed Japan's chances of making its first appearance at a World Cup. Japan needed a win to finish on top in the final Asian qualifying round that would have allowed it to advance to the World Cup. The last-second draw would become infamous among Japanese soccer fans as "the tragedy of Doha."

Shu Kamo returns to Narita International Airport in October 1997 after being fired as head coach of the Japanese team during the final qualifying round. Although expectations were greater than ever that Japan would advance to the World Cup, they were mired in third place in Group B after four matches. Kamo was replaced by his assistant coach, Takeshi Okada, who would lead the team to victories in the final two group matches to propel them into second place and a berth in the playoff to determine the third Asian representative at the World Cup.

Head coach Takeshi Okada, second from right, and his players mob Masayuki Okano after he scored the winning goal in the playoff game against Iran that was held in the neutral site of Malaysia. The one-game playoff format was decided on because a tight schedule would have made it difficult to determine the final Asian representative through the home-and-away format that is normal in most soccer competitions.