The two less yellow cards received by the Japanese compared to Senegal was enough to send the Asian side into the round of 16 after both sides finished deadlocked in the final Group H standings.
READ MORE: Japan rely on Fair Play to squeeze through to knockout stages despite Poland loss
Japan, who topped the group before today’s games kicked off, suffered a 1-0 defeat to Poland but relied on the rarely-used rule to break Senegalese hearts after the African side were defeat 1-0 by group winners Colombia in the Samara Arena.
Japan knew that their fair play score in Group H, which stood at -4 (four yellow cards) was better than that of Senegal’s -6 (six yellow cards), was enough to send them through to the knockout phase.
While teams must be separated in some way the manner in which Japan played towards the game’s conclusion drew the ire of the fans in attendance, many of whom took to booing the non-football which was taking place on the pitch - and this reaction has also been echoed online.