Despite not winning, and leaving fans in tears, Japan has showed the world what good sportsmanship is.
Japan has been hailed as an a”an example for all teams” after leaving a spotless dressing room with a thank you note after a dramatic Word Cup defeat.
After their 3-2 loss by Belgium, the Japanese football team bowed to their hosts and fans at the Rostove Arena on Monday, and proceeded to clean (and not just clean out) their locker room before heading back to Tokyo.
Even their fans, whom no one would’ve blamed had they left quickly, showed great sportsmanship and cleaned out the stadium before they left.
As you can see in the images, fans in tears filling plastic bags with cups, cans and other trash left behind by other spectators.
This wasn’t a rare sight however. Cleaning up the stands has become somewhat of a Japanese custom, with their fans staying behind each game to clean up around their seats.
The 2018 World Cup in Russia marks Japan’s sixth appearance, the first being 1998, where they lost all 3 group matches.
This year they were able to make it to the Round of 16, but were out of luck against top contender Belgium.