MAYBE things are yet to really get moving but another night of sparky football is not widely matched today by unfettered praise.

Japan in particular is taking it easy.

he surprise rest of the night — the Blue Samurai defeating a much fancied Colombia 2-1 — has, so far, had something of a muted reaction back home, the 10 million circulation newspaper, Yomiuri Shimbun, preferring to point out how its supporters were outnumbered by a thronging South American contingent.

media_camera apanese fans clean up the stadium after the game against Colombia.

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The UK’s Sun though is far more praising, and descriptive, of the Samurai support in Saransk.

“Japan showed once again why they have the best fans at the World Cup after they stayed behind to CLEAN up the stadium following their win against Colombia,” it gushes, something they did too at the last World Cup apparently after losing to the Ivory Coast.

Japanese fans clean up the stadium

Cleanliness though is catching clearly as hours later, Senegal fans stayed behind to clean up before leaving the stadium after a 2-1 win over a hapless Poland.

“This is the best thing you will see today,” read one tweet that carried a video of the tidy work.

Senegal⁠ fans cleaning their section before leaving the stadium after their historic victory against Poland. This is class.



The best thing you will see today. 👏🇸🇳 pic.twitter.com/IBINok3PQE — World Cup 2018 (@WCGoalz) June 19, 2018

But Colombian daily, El Tiempo, is on another page wholly.

“Why are we going to the World Cup to show our vulgarity” it shouts with its Foreign Ministry reproaching the behaviour of fans who violated Russian laws and insulted Japanese fans it says by posing videos of the themselves sneaking an odd beer or two into the Mordovia Arena last night.

“What leads a person to invest a considerable sum of money — it is estimated an economic plan to go to the orbital appointment exceeds 20 million pesos (about $9,300) — arrive in Russia, record objectionable videos and then upload them to the network, to exhibit?” El Tiempo asks.

media_camera Colombia‘s James Rodriguez and Johan Mojica react to their 2-1 defeat to Japan. Pic: AFP

Maybe the ruse is to detract from a woeful display from Colombia, its El Mundo newspaper correctly posing the question pre-match of whether its leading individuals would gel.

“The pending issue for the Tricolour is to improve the collective game. It is clear that it has individuals of the highest level, players of proven hierarchy, but in the last time the great achilles heel has been in the game as a whole,” is the wordy, if accurate, analysis. FITNESS FREAKS: How Socceroos can defeat Denmark

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El Tiempo meanwhile missed the boat beforehand, banging on about its top goalscorer, the ‘Tiger Falco’ and how this is his time, a surprise surely to anyone who watched him in the Premier League for Manchester United and Chelsea, his dire stints there (five goals in 41 appearances and the highest wage packet in the Premier League to boot) perhaps unsurpassed by any player in recent times.

media_camera Colombia's Radamel Falcao lays on the pitch during the defeat to Japan. Pic: AP

Colombia’s other star man, Bayern Munich’s James Rodriguez, did little too after coming on as a late substitute but this is not down to a lack of self belief according to his Twitter bio.

‘Son of God. If you believe in yourself, neither will heaven be your limit. Welcome,’ is how James positions himself.

And in a final tweet two hours before kick off, ‘We are going to a new dream.’

Really?

And finally Russia, it’s 3-1 win over Egypt effectively taking the unfancied hosts into the last 16.

Not that official news agency TASS is about to join in the festivities, ‘Russia takes another home win at 2018 FIFA World Cup defeating Egypt 3-1’ is the best of its headlines.

media_camera Russian fans celebrate their team's 3-1 win over Egypt. They’re on board, bus is the official news agency? Pic: Getty

Maybe they’re deliberately playing it down, two hours before kick-off, daily newspaper Izvestia ran a prominent story telling the former communist inhabitants how much they must earn to be considered middle class in Moscow abetted by a vast piece on a largely unknown, and deceased, 1970s British folk singer, Nick Drake, and why he is big in Russia today.

Football, and even the World Cup, clearly has its place.

Originally published as Classiest act of the World Cup