Japan's hopes of landing a first ever global soccer title ended in heartbreak Saturday after a 5-4 penalty shootout defeat to Asian rival South Korea in the Under-17 Women's World Cup final in Trinidad and Tobago.
Defender Jang Selgi was South Korea's hero on the night, scoring the decisive spot-kick to seal victory after the match had finished 3-3 after extra time.
Naoko Wada missed her spot kick for Japan while Tomoko Muramatsu's effort smacked the crossbar.
"This is a very disappointing day for us because we didn't win when we should have," Japan coach Hiroshi Yoshida told FIFA.com.
"When we went up 3-2 we had the chance to score even more goals but we failed to take our chances. The Koreans fought back with bravery and spirit and we let a chance to be world champions slip through our fingers."