Japan displayed true class act when it decided to clean the locker room despite their agonizing loss to Belgium on Monday at Rostov Arena.
Japan took an early 2-0 lead but the Belgians managed to pull off a massive comeback and took over the game. Although the Japanese team suffered a heartbreaking loss, it didn't stop them from doing what's right. The team left the locker room completely spotless while leaving a thank you note written in Russian.
The Japanese fans also did what their team had done as they cleaned the stadium after the game. Japan's action received praises online with FIFA's official Twitter account, thanking the country's contributions in this year's tournament.
"Thank you for contributing so much to a #WorldCup classic and for everything you've added to Russia 2018, Japan," the tweet said.
Aside from Japan, fans from Tunisia and Senegal were also seen cleaning the stadiums after World Cup matches. During the June 24th match between Senegal and Japan, a plethora of fans from both nations cleaned the stadium after the game that ended in a 2-2 stalemate.
Heartbreaking Is An Understatement
To say that Japan's loss to Belgium was heartbreaking is an understatement. Japan started the game like a house on fire as Genki Haraguchi stunned everyone with a 48-minute goal to give his country a 1-0 advantage.
Four minutes later, Takashi Inui put the Belgians on life support as he scored another goal to extend Japan's lead to 2-0. However, it proved to be the last hurrah for the Japanese as the talented Belgium squad made an incredible comeback courtesy of a brilliant header from Jan Vertonghen in the 69th-minute.
Marouane Fellaini scored the equalizer in the 73rd-minute as he headed a goal towards the spectacular defense of Japanese goalkeeper Eiji Kawashima. Belgium tried to search for a winner in the next sequences, but the Japanese keeper managed to pull all the stops to prevent that from happening.
Japan tried to make one last attempt but their corner kick was well-defended by the Belgians. After playing world-class defense, the Belgians displayed top-notch offense on the other end as it created a separation thanks to Nacer Chadli who scored the 94th-minute winner off an exquisite pass from Romelu Lukaku. With the victory, the Belgians are set to go up against Brazil in the quarterfinal which is scheduled on Friday at 2 p.m. Eastern Time.
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