Japan's Positive Approach Redeems "Fair Play" Farce

Japan became the only Asian nation to reach the last 16 of the World Cup when they scraped through at the expense of Senegal in a very tight Group H. Despite having identical records in terms of points, goal difference and goals scored, Japan progressed courtesy of the fair play rule, as they picked up less yellow cards than their African counterparts.

However, many criticized the manner in which Japan progressed, as they simply kept the ball in their defensive third for the final minutes of the game, which exposed the supposed irony of the ruling.

The backlash for the Samurai Blues was severe, but, in some ways misplaced. Outrage at the method and shock at the margin were conflated as many developed a slightly misguided view of the 'principles' of this Japan team.

Their approach was no different to that of Denmark and France, who played out a mutually beneficial draw at the Luzhniki Stadium for their final group stage match, but largely escaped criticism as pundits said they were simply doing what sides in their position would be expected to do at a tournament of this nature.

In the case of Japan, however, it appears as if the margin caught people off guard as opposed to the method. Regardless, the burden the Asian side faced was to redeem themselves in their crucial match against Belgium - and they achieved this in fantastic style.

The match against Belgium was arguably the biggest match in Japanese football history, coming after two previous round of 16 ties against less glamorous opponents of Turkey and Paraguay.

Many sides in this competition so far have found "success" in highly defensive football, simply lining up in banks of four in front of goal and forcing their opponents to break them down. This formula has led to many predictable games that have led the tournament to stagnate in the eyes of some.

Japan were left heartbroken after stoppage-time defeat to Belgium

Japan, however, decided to put the onus of possession upon themselves in this crucial match, and boldly stood face to face with their star-studded opposition.

Insisting on using the full extent of their technical ability, the Samurai Blues provided fans with one of the most technically brilliant performances ever seen by an Asian nation at the World Cup, endearing themselves to supporters once again as many were heartbroken to see them eliminated in such despairing circumstances.

After the unfair criticism leveled at them, the manner in which Japan picked themselves up to contribute to the spectacle of this World Cup should not go unnoticed. While they may not have gotten their just rewards in the end, their stylish, expansive football struck a major contrast with other Asian nations and truly represented the best the continent has to offer.