51�Թ�

The next day, one the country’s major sports newspapers featured a picture of Ohtani with goggles on his forehead, emptying a bottle of Sapporo on a teammate’s head.

The high point was a group stage win over Argentina, captain Beckham once again the hero with the only goal from the penalty spot underneath the spectacular Sapporo Dome.

The team’s previous home was a city-owned, multipurpose dome stadium in Hokkaido’s capital of Sapporo, which has a population of almost 2 million.

The Sapporo High Court ruling said that not allowing same-sex couples to marry and enjoy the same benefits as straight couples violates their fundamental right to have a family.

This week, courts in Tokyo and Sapporo ruled the nation's current ban was "unconstitutional", in line with previous landmark verdicts.