Tidy Japan fans make us proud, says Southampton's Yoshida

Yekaterinburg (Russia) (AFP) – Southampton and Japan defender Maya Yoshida reserved special praise Saturday for the country’s fans after they were pictured clearing up their rubbish at the World Cup.

Following Tuesday’s shock 2-1 victory over Colombia — the first by an Asian country over a South American one at a World Cup — footage emerged of Japanese fans putting their rubbish in bin bags at the stadium.

“We were very impressed,” 29-year-old Yoshida said on the eve of Japan’s Group H clash with Senegal in Yekaterinburg.

“Of course, it is not just the national team who represent Japan, but the fans in Russia also, so to be praised by the whole world (for their actions), we are very proud of this.”

Asked if the Japan players similarly clean up their dressing room after a match, the central defender joked: “Well, we leave our dressing room after the match much cleaner compared to in the Premier League.”