Japan suffered a devastating loss against Belgium in the knock-out round of the World Cup, after leading the game 2-0 with just 25 minutes remaining in the second half. The shocking 3-2 loss meant Japan was out of the soccer competition and headed home. Before they left, though, the heartbroken team showed an impressive display of good sportsmanship and even better manners.
On the field, the team respectfully bowed to their opponents. They then filed into the locker room to change. But before they departed, they left the room completely spotless and even left a thank you note in Russian for their hosts, The Independent reports.
It wasn’t just the team, either. As they left the stadium, the devastated football fans took the time to clean up all trash in the Rostov-on-Don soccer arena, leaving virtually no trace of their time there. This isn’t the first time fans clad in their booster gear stayed to clean up after themselves—they packed away all their trash after the team beat Colombia earlier in the tournament. Sports Illustrated notes that the Senegalese fans cleaned up their sections during the tournament, too.
Perhaps American fans can learn a little something from this competition, even if the U.S. Men’s Team didn’t qualify.
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