Yuya Osako the hero as striker's winning goal earns him an 8 in Japan's 2-1 victory over Colombia

Aditya Devavrat 18:55 19/06/2018
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  • Osako scored a famous winner for Japan.

    Japan picked up a famous win on Tuesday, beating South American opposition at the World Cup for the first time thanks to striker Yuya Osako’s second-half winner.

    They were aided by an early red card to Colombia midfielder Carlos Sanchez, and at times it looked like they would fail to take advantage of their numerical superiority, but they ended up taking a vital three points.

    Here’s how the players rated in their historic victory.

    JAPAN (4-2-3-1)

    Eiji Kawashima 6 – Looked a little foolish trying to protest the awarding of Colombia’s goal, when he had to have known it crossed the line. Performed well otherwise.

    Hiroki Sakai 5 – Struggled to deal with Colombia’s attackers, with goalscorer Juan Quintero and substitute James Rodriguez both giving him a horrid afternoon.

    Maya Yoshida 6 – A little shaky defensively, as Radamel Falcao give the Southampton man a tough time. Missed a good chance to score as well.

    Gen Shoji 7 – Was Japan’s best defender in the game, dealing well with the threat of Colombia’s physical and talented attackers.

    Yuto Nagatomo 7 – Looked particularly up for it in this game, as he marauded up and down his flank with high energy. Had a big impact on Japan’s attacking play.

    Gaku Shibasaki 7 – Put in a handful of dangerous crosses to the box that his teammates should have done better from, and was a lively presence throughout.

    Makoto Hasebe 6 – Robust in the tackle and a solid defensive presence in general, and did well to maintain and recycle possession when required.

    Genki Haraguchi 6 – Didn’t really have the sort of impact he’s capable of. Tidy in possession but his passing wasn’t incisive enough.

    Shinji Kagawa 8 – Scored a calm penalty after a long wait, a moment that underlined the confidence he had in his game. With better finishing from his teammates, would have ended the game with a couple of assists.

    Takashi Inui 5 – Downright lackadaisical at times, and in general, didn’t seem like he was in the game. It was surprising that he wasn’t taken off when Japan were chasing a winner.

    Yuya Osako 8 – An extremely well-taken goal to win the game for Japan, rising above Colombia’s defence to power home a header.

    SUBSTITUTES

    Keisuke Honda 7 – Had an immediate impact after coming on, setting up his side’s winner with a corner kick that caused havoc for the Colombia defence.

    Hotaru Yamaguchi N/A – Came on late in the game to help Japan hold on for the win. Looked composed if unspectacular in possession.

    Shinji Okazaki N/A – Didn’t have much time to make an impact after coming on as a late sub, but provided fresh legs as Japan closed out a win.

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