The Japanese earned international praise at the World Cup 2018 on Tuesday, June 19 after they became the first Asian team to ever beat a South American team -- and then cleaned up after themselves.

This was after Colombia went down 1-2 to the Japanese.

What was most impressive though was the civic-mindedness that Japanese fans displayed after the match: They picked up their own trash in the stadium when the match ended.

Colombians join in

What made the post-game celebrations even more memorable was that the Colombian fans also joined in and picked up the litter as well.

コロンビアサポーターが素晴らしいかった。
何人もからコングラチュレーション言われた。
僕らの青袋取って、ゴミも一緒に拾ってくれた。

逆の結果で、僕らはできるだろうか？
サッカーの奥は深いね pic.twitter.com/4gE7HOb6Up

— ちょんまげ隊長ツンさん@10/22〜球磨村で運動会 (@tsunsan) June 19, 2018

According to the the above tweet, as translated by Soranews24, the Colombians, in a heartwarming display of sportsmanship, congratulated the Japanese and promptly joined them in picking up the trash:

"Colombia’s supporters were wonderful. So many people told us ‘Congratulations.’ They even used our blue trash bags and picked up trash together with us.

Would we Japanese fans have been this considerate if the game’s outcome had been reversed? The world of soccer is a deep one."

A teachable moment

Many of the Colombians who replied to his tweet thanked the Japanese for teaching them the importance of such behaviour and that they had a lot to learn from Japanese culture.

Below is a video of a Colombian man filming the moment:

The man filming can be heard congratulating the Japanese and expressed his amazement at what they were doing after their team's victory:

"You guys beat us, congratulations. Congratulations on the win. Look at what they're doing after a win... real class."

Of course, some Colombians were skeptical that the courtesy of the Japanese caught on with all of their fellow countrymen.

Regardless, even if not all of the Colombians joined in helping, one can't help but appreciate this beautiful moment borne of the World Cup where one culture inspires another for the better.

Senegalese follow suit

In their match against Poland, Senegal also triumphed with a score of 2-1, making them the first African team to win a match at the World Cup thus far.

It was also a historic moment considering that this is only Senegal's second appearance at the World Cup, with their first in 2002.

Once the match ended, the Senegalese fans proceeded to clean up their trash much like the Japanese.

Unlike the Japanese, however, the Senegalese took a different approach by stacking up all of their trash in one single pile to make it easier for the cleaning staff to handle.

https://twitter.com/INFOSMESSl/status/1009141390310289409

The above video also shows the Senegalese doing a thorough job as used tissue paper were also being picked up as well.

Given that both Japan and Senegal are in Group H, this has got to be the most civic-minded group in the World Cup.

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Match Highlights of Senegal-Poland

Polish central defender Thiago Cionek gave Senegal their first goal when he deflected a shot by Senegalese defensive midfielder Idriss Gueye into his own side's net.

Senegal scored their second goal with an impressive performance by striker M'baye Niang.

Poland finally scored their first goal later with midfielder Grzegorz Krychowiak, but at the 86th minute, it was too late to salvage the situation.

Senegal will face off with Japan next on Sunday, 24 June.

If the behaviour of both countries are anything to go by, we suspect the stadium they play at will be the cleanest post-match venue at the World Cup.

Top image from tsunsan Twitter