Japan's World Cup fans praised for cleaning up garbage after match
· Toronto Sun
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Now those are the kind of visiting fans you want at your stadium.
Following a 2-2 draw between Japan and the Netherlands on Sunday in Dallas, Japanese fans who came to cheer on their team were seen cleaning up the garbage in the massive venue after the match. Supporters of Japan’s “Samurai Blue” were spotted collecting bottles and food wrappers from the stands.
It’s nothing new for the Japanese, who did the same thing in Qatar four years ago. It’s a big part of their culture. Fox Sports noted that Japanese children are taught a lesson in elementary school: “Tatsu tori ato wo nigosazu,” or “ the bird leaves nothing behind .” In other words, “be respectful, leave it the way you found it.”
A wild second half
Japan impressed on the pitch as well, holding the heavily favoured Netherlands to a 2-2 draw in its opening match of the tournament. After a lacklustre first half, the game exploded with three goals in 13 minutes. The Netherlands opened the scoring with a header from centre back Virgil van Dijk. Japan responded six minutes later when Keito Nakamura’s shot deflected off Jan Paul van Hecke and into the Dutch net.
The Netherlands scored once again in the 64th minute with a Crysencio Summerville goal and, until the final minutes of the game, it looked as though the Dutch had the match on ice. But Daichi Kamada equalized in the 88th minute with a header off Junya Ito’s corner kick, stunning the Netherlands and earning Japan a valuable point.
Japanese morale high
Both Japanese players and fans alike have high hopes for this year’s World Cup. Japan is widely viewed as a dark-horse contender, and with matches remaining against Sweden and Tunisia, it is expected to advance from its group. Japan is currently unbeaten in its past 10 games against European opponents, and after drawing with a perennial soccer powerhouse like the Netherlands, fans are excited to see how far the team can go in the tournament.