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Scorers:
Juan Quintero 39th Minute (COL); Shinji Kagawa 4th Minute (JAP) and Yuya Osako 73rd Minute (JAP)
As the first round fixtures of Group H commenced, one couldn’t help but feel that this was the evenest Group at the World Cup. For all the talk about favourites and like, this Group seems to be the most balanced one as no team can be declared a firm favourite. Saransk was the venue for the Group H opener and as the sun shone brightly on the pitch, the players also shone and dazzled in the afternoon sunlight.
That said, both sets of players were running high on adrenaline and that was evident right from the kick-off exacerbated by the false start after the referee failed to realize that Falcao, the Colombian captain having won the toss wanted to switch ends.
Once the game got underway though it was the Colombians who set the tone in that remarkable opening period. Here is a look at some of the talking points from the game:-
#1 The Samurai Blues blaze through Colombia
Having sacked their manager Vahid Halilhodzic in April this year, the Samurai Blues did have their own set of problems. Instead, they proceeded to turn their attention of revenge against the Colombians. Back in 2014, it was a humbling experience for Japan as they were beaten comprehensively 3-1.
Perceptions about the Japan football team being nicknamed as the Samurai Blues are well founded. Afterall, for a team playing football, why would you associate a nickname that is related to fencing? But for all its reasoning, it is a catchy moniker anyways and in the opening stages of the game, the Japanese slashed and sashayed their way past the Colombians.
Osako who has been slated as the player to watch out for didn’t do his reputation any harm with the goal. His ability to drop deep and connect with his players meant that he was a constant menace to the opposition as he kept on pulling the Colombian defence out of shape.
On Tuesday afternoon, though it was the Japanese who put themselves on the verge of replicating the score-line brought them so much heartache four years ago. Kagawa dispatched the penalty early on before Yuya Osako opened his account with a flicked header into the top right corner.
Creation of clear chances was a rarity despite the man advantage and if Japan is to entertain hopes of going far and beyond in the tournament then they will have to summon some creativity.
#2 Sanchez fluffs his lines
Carlos Sanchez will probably remember World Cup 2018 for all the wrong reasons. The defensive midfielder was sent off as early as the 4th minute after hi blatant handball gave the referee no choice other than to produce a red card. While Carlos Sanchez was the one who bore the brunt of the punishment, it was the other Sanchez’s (Davinson) mistake that led to the series of calamitous events.
Davinson failed to deal with the bouncing ball and in the process allowed Osako to burst clear and fire off that initial shot which caused the panic situation. Ospina having saved the initial shot would have expected his defence to do better. But as things turned out, he was soon picking the ball out of his net as Kagawa made no mistake in planting his penalty down the middle of the goal, giving Japan the lead.
The red card though seemed to knock the stuffing out of Colombia as the mood dampened amongst the fans as they realized it was an uphill task. Thereafter, it was a matter of when Japan would extend their lead. The “Samurai Blues” played some enterprising football but mostly it was the necessity of patient approach that led to them creating attacking opportunities.
#3 Kagawa and other stars rise to the occasion
As far as the sprinkling of stardust goes, Japan has their own share of stars amongst their ranks. Be it Kagawa or Keisuke Honda or the likes of Haraguchi and Yoshida. The Japanese lined up 4-2-3-1 against the Colombians and the beneficiary of this rapidly rotating attacking three was their striker Osako.
Osako went off on runs down alleys that dragged the central defence and was a contributor to the shocking defensive lapse in the opening minutes. That aside, Eiji Kawashima, the keeper made two close-range saves to prevent Colombia from scoring. Japan though could have easily collapsed and it is a testament to their coach 63-year-old Akira Nishino, who was chosen at the last minute to take Japan through the tournament. Akira’s appointment was no surprise as he was in charge of the Japanese team that beat Brazil at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.
Hasebe another stalwart of the Japanese team was instrumental in stemming the tide of the Colombian attacks as ‘Los Cafeteros’ – The Coffee Growers looked for a way back into the game. Pekerman though will have to plot a different path for his wards if Colombia is to replicate their performances from last time around.
#4 Quintero free-kick lights up Colombian display
For a considerable part of the first half, Colombia with a man less played much better than Japan, who was at full strength. The likes of Quintero, Arias, and Cuadrado kept applying the pressure and were faster to recoup after the needless red card. And Falcao their talismanic scorer almost leveled as early as the 12th minute. That was not to be and it was only the brilliance of Quintero’s left boot who improvised to score.
But it was Falcao’s guile that brought them the goal as he won the free-kick that would lead to the goal. Falcao had summoned all his acting brilliance to con the match official only to be thwarted time and again. But it was third time lucky as he won the free-kick against Yoshida, who was his tormentor in chief throughout the game.
Quintero’s presence of mind has to be commended as he waited for the wall to jump before rolling the ball underneath it. Kawashima, the Japanese keeper did his best but couldn’t prevent the ball from sliding into the bottom right corner.
Colombia did bring on James Rodriguez after the half-time in order to pose a more attacking threat. Despite the introduction of the former Madrid man, Colombia was kept at bay from the Japanese goal. Colombia next faces Poland and have given themselves a mountain to climb if they are to escape the group stages.
#5 Japan - Asia’s best hope of making it to the last 8
It’s been almost 16 years, since an Asian team made it to the quarter-finals, the last being South Korea on home-soil. Japan, if they make it that far will be considered a stupendous achievement, given the fact that they are playing away from familiar territory. Not that the Japanese players are overawed by the occasion these days.
Most of their players now ply their trade across Europe and the unfamiliarity of foreign tactics, style of play are issues of the past. Instead, the current team has a balance of players that can compete across the length and breadth of Europe. In fact, this was Japan’s first win in a World Cup in Europe and their first against South American opposition.
Although the likes of Iran, Australia, South Korea and Saudi Arabia are the other Asian representatives, Japan represents a much better bet when it comes to qualifying for the knockout stages.
Japan did dominate the game, but one would be hard-pressed to appreciate the attacking forays of Japan as they managed only a single shot on target from open play with a grand total of 6 shots. Statistics do not lie and Japan will be delighted that they picked up the three points as they almost fluffed their lines.
