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#2 Best: Shinji Kagawa
While Colombia lacked numbers and creativity in the middle, Japan were fortunate to have the services of the ever so dependable Shinji Kagawa in an attacking midfield position.
Kagawa brought in a sense of calming influence to the game, often maintaining the possession of the ball, making the right passes, and moving accurately in order to receive the return pass.
His one-touch passing display bamboozled the Colombian defenders, who were often drawn out of their positions with some immaculate movement by Shinji.
The Borussia Dortmund player slid in some smart through balls for the forwards, and often shifted out wide to utilize the width of the pitch.
He was all around the attacking positions, getting into the gaps created by the Colombian midfielders and making the required, accurate pass almost every single time.
His agility on the field and the composure and assurance with the ball ensured that Japan pegged Colombia back in the first 25 minutes of the second half.
Kagawa’s temperament was best visible when he patiently waited for David Ospina to dive before slotting in his spot-kick right through the centre. The experience and calm-head that he carried helped Japan a lot, and Kagawa would an instrumental member in their squad going further in the tournament.
