Japan, World Cup 2022
The Japan national team crowds #18 Takuma Asano after giving them the 2-1 lead in their World Cup 2022 opening match against Germany. FIFA World Cup/Twitter

KEY POINTS

  • Japan scored an upset over Germany in the FIFA World Cup
  • Japanese fans in attendance cleaned up before leaving the arena
  • The Japanese national team also cleaned up before leaving their locker room

What do you do when you get to witness your national football team score a massive upset in the FIFA World Cup live and in person?

For most fans, the natural response would be rowdy celebrations that would likely leave a huge mess, right?

Well, that wasn't the case for the Japanese fans who were in attendance at the Khalifa International Stadium in Al Rayyan, Qatar last Wednesday, November 23.

On that fateful afternoon, the Japanese Men's National Football Team pulled off a spectacular comeback victory to upset Germany—one of the favorites to win the tournament, 2-1, in Group E action.

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A penalty make from İlkay Gündoğan put the German side ahead 1-0 at the 33rd minute of action, but Japan charged back in the second half led by reserves Ritsu Doan and Takuma Asano who each scored a goal to power the Samurai Blue to an improbable victory.

This comes just a day after the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia authored their own come-from-behind upset over Argentina, another team favored to hoist the World Cup trophy.

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Such a monumental victory deserves an equally-monumental celebration and the Japanese fans on hand to witness the magical moment did just that, but they were also responsible enough to clean up after themselves.

The simple gesture from the fans drew praise from people online, and understandably so.

It didn't end there as the Japanese booters also did the same inside their respective locker room.

If you've been inside a sports team's locker room after a game, let alone a huge victory, you know just how messy it can get.

The photo, which is also making the rounds online, shows that the Japanese squad left their quarters in pristine condition, with water bottles put aside and bibs folded in a neat and tidy fashion.

This isn't surprising as the Japanese people have been known for their discipline and being neat and orderly.

Back in the 2018 World Cup, the Japanese fans did the same thing as well.

The Japanese squad will face Costa Rica next on Sunday, November 27th before wrapping up the group stage against football powerhouse Spain on Thursday, December 1st.

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