A win would have secured the team’s first ever advancement to the World Cup quarterfinals. Although the game started at 3 a.m. for fans in Japan, viewer ratings averaged 30.8 percent in the Kanto region and 28.3 percent for the Kansai region, reaching a peak of 42.6 percent in Kanto.

“I didn’t have much hope for the Japanese team” when the World Cup began, but “everything changed when we won against Colombia” in the first game, said Kaori Seno of Gifu prefecture.

“To be honest, I didn’t think the Japanese team was this strong,” said Takeji Fujishiro, who lives in central Tokyo. “I didn’t think they would make it this far.”

Yohei, who lives in Kanagawa and declined to give his last name, also said the team’s performance exceeded his expectations. “When I saw (Takashi) Inui’s incredible goal this morning (during the match with Belgium), I was amazed. I’d never thought that a member of the Japanese team could deliver such a goal,” he said.

However, it wasn’t just the dramatic goals that left an impression in the minds of supporters. When asked what the most memorable moment of the World Cup was for her, Seno pointed to when Keisuke Honda “stuck his tongue out” following his goal during the Senegal match — a celebratory expression that prompted a media frenzy.

Hirotaka Awata, who works in Tokyo, said the last 10 minutes of Japan’s match against Poland — when the national team played for time in a strategic effort to win the group stage on fair play points — was an interesting and “clever” way to move ahead in the tournament.

Many fans were pegging their hopes on a stronger Japan team and a better performance at the next World Cup, in 2022.

“I think the overall sentiment is that Japan did well because they made it to the second round, but for our team to become better, I think they need to aim higher,” said Yohei.

But the first step for supporters on Tuesday was recovery after the early morning match.

“I’m really sleepy right now,” said Yohei, who had taken a nap before waking up in time for the broadcast.

“I’ll be going to bed early tonight.”

 

The team lost in the final seconds of its last-16 match against Belgium by a score of 3-2, after taking a 2-0 lead early in the second half. But even while grappling with the devastating defeat, both the fans and players continued a tradition they have maintained throughout this World Cup — cleaning up their section of the stadium, some with tears still in their eyes.

 

 

FIFA General Director Priscilla Janssens tweeted a picture Tuesday of Japan’s spotless dressing room, praising the team and its fans for their tidy-up efforts and manners and also writing that the team had even left a thank-you note in Russian for the hosts.

“What an example for all teams!! Privilege to work with!” she wrote in a tweet that was shared more than 45,000 times and liked nearly 80,000 times as of Tuesday afternoon. 

But Janssens was not the only one praising the Japanese team.

“Japanese are some of the best people you will ever meet, so respecting and so humble,” one Twitter user wrote. “Them cleaning up the stadium is also a great gesture.”

Japanese fans also expressed a sense of pride, thanking the team and supporters for their dignity in defeat.

“I’m proud of the Japanese side’s good manners, regardless of the outcome of the game,” one user wrote. “And although I’m a soccer fan once every four years, I still want to thank the Japanese side for allowing us to dream.” 

Japan supporters were also applauded for helping to clean up the stadium after earlier games in the tournament — a practice that Western media outlets gushed over. The scene was similar to the last World Cup in 2014, when Japanese supporters stuck around after the national team’s matches to clean up their own garbage.