How Japan cleaned up at the World Cup
Despite World Cup heartbreak against Belgium the Japan squad left their changing room spotless
Japanese hearts were broken last night after their gallant team lost to a dramatic last-minute goal by Belgium, but the nation’s players have been praised for “stealing the hearts” of football fans around the world.
The Daily Telegraph reports that after their dramatic 3-2 loss against Belgium in the World Cup round of 16 - a match in which they were two goals up - Japan left their changing room at the Rostov Arena “in immaculate condition”. They even left a note saying “thank you” in Russian as they departed the 2018 finals.
Belgium came back from 2-0 down to beat Japan with a 94th-minute winner. The result left the Japan players in tears and their head coach Akira Nishino revealed they were devastated in the changing rooms afterwards.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The Japan squad’s honourable exit follows in the footsteps of their fans who were seen cleaning the stands after their World Cup matches.
How Twitter reacted to Japan’s exit:
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
'A direct, protracted war with Israel is not something Iran is equipped to fight'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
Today's political cartoons - April 17, 2024
Cartoons Wednesday's cartoons - political anxiety, jury sorting hat, and more
By The Week US Published
-
Arid Gulf states hit with year's worth of rain
Speed Read The historic flooding in Dubai is tied to climate change
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Mason Greenwood: footballer arrested on suspicion of rape and assault
Speed Read Man Utd confirm the striker will not train or play until further notice
By The Week Staff Published
-
Handball: swapping bikini bottoms for tight pants
Speed Read Women competitors will be required to ‘wear short tight pants with a close fit’
By The Week Staff Published
-
Cristiano Ronaldo’s second coming
Speed Read Last week, Manchester United re-signed the forward on a two-year deal thought to be worth more than £400,000 a week
By The Week Staff Last updated
-
Belarusian Olympic sprinter seeks asylum after refusing to fly back to Minsk
In Depth Krystsina Tsimanouskaya arrives at Polish embassy after being seized by officials from her own country
By The Week Staff Published
-
Does the Tokyo Olympics branding amount to cultural appropriation?
feature What started as a stereotype of Japan by western media has turned into a process of nation branding
By The Week Staff Published
-
Bank holidays and boycotts: are MPs trying to jinx England?
Speed Read Declaring a bank holiday would be ‘tempting fate’, says Boris Johnson
By The Week Staff Published
-
Weightlifting: Olympic Games set for transgender first
Speed Read New Zealand weightlifter Laurel Hubbard will make history at Tokyo 2020
By The Week Staff Published
-
Why cancelling the Tokyo Olympics isn’t Japan’s call
feature Latest polls show Japanese public want the Games axed owing to Covid fears - but who gets the final say?
By The Week Staff Last updated