Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/995828
maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 20 JUNE 2018 20 WORLD CUP SPORTS Japan stun 10-man Colombia JAPAN upset 10-man Colom- bia 2-1 in a dramatic match yesterday to become the first Asian side to beat South Amer- ican opponents at the World Cup. Asian teams had managed three draws in 17 matches against South American sides but the four-times Asian cham- pions made their extra man count after Colombia midfield- er Carlos Sanchez became the first player to get a red card in Russia. His sending-off in the third minute, for a deliberate hand- ball, was the second fastest in World Cup history after Uru- guay's Jose Batista was dis- missed after 55 seconds against Scotland in 1986. Shinji Kagawa scored from the resulting penalty to give Japan the lead in the Group H match. Juan Quintero's clever low free kick in the 39th minute gave Colombia the equaliser but Yuya Osako leapt above his marker to head a corner into the net for Japan's 73rd-minute winner. "To lose one player in the three minutes to lose such a crucial player, is not an easy thing," Colombia's Argentine coach Jose Pekerman told re- porters. With Colombia ranked 16th in the world and Japan 61st, the South Americans were ex- pected to win. It was also sweet revenge for Japan, who were thumped 4-1 by the same opponents in Bra- zil 2014, but they wasted plen- ty of chances to kill the game off earlier. Kagawa and Osako went close in the first half but failed to increase their lead. "I told them at halftime to keep moving, get the advantage in positioning," Japan coach Akira Nishino said. "It was good we could de- prive the front players of their stamina. It's the result that counts. Luck is impor- tant but it's not going to do the job." With Japan dominat- ing the midfield with their superior numbers, Peker- man opted to sacrifice Juan Cuadrado around the half hour mark to send on de- fensive midfielder Wilmar Barrios. That allowed Colombia a foothold in the match and their all-time leading scorer and captain Radamel Falcao came more into the game. Falcao, making his World Cup debut after missing the last tournament in Brazil due to injury, showed his hunger when he stretched full length to get his foot to an overhead cross but did not have the pow- er to beat the goalkeeper. Genki Haraguchi's foul on Falcao earned Colombia a foul on the edge of the box and Quintero fired a low free kick under the leaping wall. Japan goalkeeper Eiji Kawashima reacted late and failed to stop the ball from crossing the line. Colombia continued to trouble Japan with quick at- tacking movements but as the minutes passed they lost stamina and playing 90 min- utes with a man down proved too big a mountain to climb. In a last throw of the dice, Pekerman introduced James Rodriguez, who did not start due to a calf problem, in the 59th minute but the Golden Boot winner in Brazil was un- able to change the course of the match. "Without doubt we were ex- pecting something different, we were hoping to start with a victory," Pekerman said. "It's unfortunate for the peo- ple of Colombia who came here with high hopes. This is obviously going to leave us with a bitter memory." Colombia Japan 1 2 Juan Quintero 39' Shinji Kagawa 6' Penalty Yuya Osak 73' Senegal sink Poland SENEGAL became the first Af- rican team to win a match at the 2018 World Cup yesterday when they beat Poland 2-1, helped by two shocking errors in the Euro- pean side's defence. Poland defender Thiago Cionek stuck out a leg and de- flected Idrissa Gueye's way- ward shot into the net in the 37th minute before goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny rushed un- necessarily out of his area and allowed M'Baye Niang to nip in and score into an empty net on the hour. Grzegorz Krychowiak headed Poland's goal in the 86th min- ute. The win took Senegal top of Group H with three points, along with Japan who also beat Colombia by the same score. Colombia and Poland are both without a point. Egypt, Morocco, Nigeria and Tunisia all lost their opening games. Poland's record scorer Rob- ert Lewandowski got little change out of a well-drilled Senegal defence, led by Ka- lidou Koulibaly, and they sorely missed key defender Kamil Glik, still recovering from a training injury sus- tained two weeks ago. The first half hour was a sorry affair strewn with mis- placed passes from both sides and neither of the dangermen, Lewandowski and Senegal's Sad- io Mane, seeing much of the ball. The first shot on target pro- duced the first goal as Senegal went ahead in the 38th minute. Niang won a challenge with Lukasz Piszczek, burst down the left and found Mane who in turn slipped the ball to Gueye. The midfielder's shot ap- peared to be going wide until the hapless Cionek stuck out a leg and deflected it past Szcz- esny. Lewandowski sprang into life five minutes after halftime as he won possession, burst clear and was up-ended by Salif Sane. He took the free kick himself and although he managed Poland's first shot on target, it was saved by Khadim N'Diaye. Poland appeared to be com- ing back into the game until the most embarrassing moment of the World Cup so far. Krychow- iak sent a long ball back from deep inside the Senegal half, Szc- zesny rushed out of his area to collect the pass but Niang stole in to score to Polish disbelief. Krychowiak partially made amends with his goal but it was too late for the disappointing Poles. Poland Senegal 1 2 Grzegorz Krychowiak 86' Own goal Thiago Cionek 37' M'Baye Niang 60'