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Japan turned the tables on Colombia to cause the second major upset of the World Cup with a 2-1 win. This is also their first victory over a South American side.
The writing was on the wall when Los Cafeteros were down to 10 men inside 4 minutes when Carlos Sanchez was shown a straight red for handling the ball inside the area. Shinji Kagawa struck the resulting penalty, but Colombia appeared to turn the screw with high press and also clawed their way back into the match through Juan Quintero's cheeky freekick.
Strangely, Jose Pekerman's side plummeted dramatically in the second-half, allowing the Blue Samurai back into the match and also get the winner. Colombia were never going to come back from that, given the listless display for most of the time after the break.
A stunning loss, but Colombia have themselves to blame for it. Here's where they went wrong:
#1 Carlos Sanchez's desperate handball dug Colombia a hole
Japan's blistering start to the game pushed Colombia on the backfoot, and one nervy moment saw defender Carlos Sanchez thwarting the flight of the ball by stretching his arm out, leaving the match official with no choice but to send him for an early bath.
That one moment of madness was always going to come back to bite Colombia. Even though they did riposte by upping the attacking ante and restoring party through Quintero's low drive after Falcao drew a foul right outside the area, the numerical disadvantage clearly showed in the second 45 when the Cafeteros were on the backfoot and couldn't muster anything of note in the final third.
Had Sanchez not intervened, the ball would've probably ended in the back of the net anyway. But Colombia could've at least been in a position to stage a comeback. He not only put his side in the lurch for this game but also left them to rework strategies for the forthcoming group games too.
#2 Taking Quintero off for an unfit James Rodriguez
With Colombia a man less in the defense, it prompted manager Pekerman to make a tactical switch. He subbed Juan Cuadrado for Wilmar Barrios to beef up the backline, and whilst that made sense, his decision later to take Quintero off for an unfit Rodriguez added insult to the injury.
Quintero was clearly one of the better players going forward and emanated great threat with his crosses and off-the-ball movements. His substitution took the mickey out of Colombia's vanguard as Rodriguez failed to offer anything in the attack. The Bayern Munich star linked up well initially, but there was little else of note to his game thereafter.
He cut an isolated figure up front as Colombia spent most of the second-half in their own half and when in possession, his passes were labored and first touches, very limp. His frustrations were clear when he picked up a yellow card for a rash foul. But Quintero's substitution means there was no one else to inspire the creative juices either and Pekerman's gamble failed miserably.
#3 Failing to capitalise on the gathered momentum
For a good 40 minutes or so in the first half, Colombia looked to be in control despite the numerical disadvantage. It was as if the red card lit up a fire in their belly and they're trying to make a statement of intent. Chances flew thick and fast during that spell, but profligacy cost them.
Falcao, in particular, was at the receiving end of three or four good chances, but was either uncharacteristically poor in his first touch or shot straight at the keeper. Cuadrado and Izquierdo provided with the pace on the flanks, but their final ball disappointed. There were also moments when they did well to get near the area, but some close man-marking by the Japanese defenders squelched any attacking intent.
In an utterly lifeless display after the break, Colombia had one golden chance to get back on level terms, but even that was excellently dealt with as Rodriguez's effort was sent flying over the bar. Just a minute later, a miscommunication between him and Bacca saw another chance went begging, and that was the final nail in the coffin.
