Japan hopes of making it to the quarterfinals of the World Cup in Russia suffered a massive blow after they lost 3-2 against Belgium in the Round of 16 match on Monday. The Asian nation took a 2-0 lead in the second half with Genki Haraguchi and Takashi Inui scoring a goal each. But Belgium found a way to get back into the match with Jan Vertonghen, Marouane Fellaini and Nacer Chadli scoring a goal each to take their side to the quarterfinals.
Despite the defeat, the Japanese fans won hearts after they stayed back in the stands to clean up the litter. In photos that have gone viral on social media, the fans were seen picking up trash surrounding the chairs with tears in their eyes. If that was not all, the footballers also cleaned up their dressing room before packing up and departing from Russia. Japan players also left a thank you note in their dressing room to Russia for hosting them.
The gesture received praise from cricketer Yuvraj Singh who shared the photos on Facebook and wrote, “Now, this is what true sportsmanship is all about, I’m sure each one of us;- sportsmen, teams and rest of the world can learn from this cleanliness act by the Japanese team and the Japanese fan’s at the stadium after losing dramatically to Belgium.”
The match was tied up at 2-2 till the 94th minute and was just about to enter the Extra Time. But Chadli scored a goal in the final minute, knocking out Japan and taking Belgium to the quarterfinals stage, where they will face a tough opposition in Brazil.