Senegal and Japan have been part of the uprising of the underdogs at this World Cup, in the mix among the lower-ranked teams that are surprisingly taking points from the favorites.

Defying expectations, Japan beat Colombia 2-1 in its opening match to become the first team from Asia to beat one from South America in World Cup history. Senegal followed up with a 2-1 victory over No. 8-ranked Poland to become the first African team to win in the 2018 edition after Egypt, Morocco, Nigeria and Tunisia all opened with losses.

Japan and Senegal have joined the likes of Mexico, which upset Germany, and Iceland, which held Argentina to a 1-1 draw.

Now they're playing each other, with the lead in Group H on offer for today's winner.

And it was not just on the field that the two nations earned praise after their opening wins, as their supporters took the time to clean up the trash around them after the games in Saransk and Moscow, making life easier for the volunteers in those stadiums.

NIANG’S FIRST GOAL

M'Baye Niang scored what proved to be a decisive second for Senegal against Poland in sneaky fashion, returning to the field following an injury just in time to capitalize on a mix-up between Grzegorz Krychowiak and Wojciech Szczesny to round the keeper and score.

After netting his first international goal, the forward was quick to turn his attention to a meeting with the Blue Samurai as Senegal looks to reach the last 16 in only its second appearance at the finals.

"My benefit, of which you speak, is the work of a whole group," Niang said. "We must not give up and we must continue to work. Nothing is yet acquired, we must continue to work to achieve our goal.

SENEGAL’S COUNTER THREAT

"It's a good team. We are preparing and we will have time to study this team from Japan, which has qualities."

Japan was aided by a third-minute red card given to Colombia's Carlos Sanchez in its opening match, and defender Yuto Nagatomo believes he and his teammates must be wary of Senegal's threat on the counter.

"Their speed and physicality is something I expected, but what stood out was their discipline," he said. "They moved as a connected unit, with every piece interlocking.

"There is an impression sometimes that African teams, while having great individual talent, have a weakness when it comes to organization, but there is little sign of that [with Senegal]. Everyone has a high awareness of defense and they are outstanding on the counter-attack."