trophy as a gift for the Japanese people at home who had suffered a devastating earthquake earlier that year in March. Details Statistics Reaction and impact The outcome of the game was so unbelievable that it caused widespread celebration in Japan as the country had just suffered the devastating March earthquake that demoralized the country. The Japanese side received international acclaim for becoming world champions from the background of a catastrophic natural disaster and poor conditions prior to the tournament, as well as referring to Japan's journey as a "fairytale", noting how the Japanese side came off a natural disaster crisis, lacked any sufficient support from the JFA as women's football wasn't the top priority of Japan's football development and had almost pulled out from the tournament owing to the disaster at home. Miho Kajioka, a football fan from Tokyo summed it up "We haven't had a single piece of good news for the past four months. It's as if we had nothing to be hopeful about, so in that sense the result is great. It's incredible." The Japanese victory meant that it has officially broken Saudi Arabia's FIFA monopoly that acquired back in 1989 FIFA U-16 World Championship, becoming the second AFC member to win a World Cup trophy at any level. Tony DiCicco, manager of the victorious American side in the 1999 FIFA Women's World Cup and a commentator in ESPN at the time, expressed the shocking outcome, “They feel they can win. That's almost never been the case before.” Aya Sameshima, who was part of the Japanese side in 2011, expressed that determination was the reason for Japan to overcome the adverse situations. Following the end of the game, the Japanese raised "thank you" banner to thank for international support to Japan in the difficult time, and was applauded by the majority of fans. See also 2007 AFC Asian Cup Final, which Iraq won the tournament despite significant adverse situations (Iraq War) at home References External links Official FIFA Women's World Cup 2011 site l FIFA Women's World Cup Finals Sports competitions in Frankfurt Football in Frankfurt Fifa Womens World Cup Final 2011 United States women's national soccer team matches Japan women's national football team matches 2010s in Frankfurt Japan–United States relations July 2011 sports events in Germany Association football matches in Germany