Japan make World Cup history
Blue Samurai beat Colombia 2-1
Ysweet uya Osako exacted
revenge for Japan yesterday as the Blue Samurai beat Colombia 2-1, becoming the first Asian side ever to beat a South American team at the World Cup.
Osako’s 73rd-minute winner meant the Japanese avenged their 4-1 mauling in the group stages of Brazil 2014 as Colombia played with a man down for 86 minutes in Saransk.
After leaving Brazil without a win four years ago, Japan made a dream start to their Russian campaign even though head coach Akira Nishino was only appointed in April.
In an explosive start to the Group H clash, Colombia defender Carlos Sanchez earned the first red card of Russia 2018 with a handball after just four minutes.
Japan took a shock lead when Shinji Kagawa netted the resulting penalty before Juan Quintero equalised with a freekick for Colombia to make it 1-1 at half-time.
Brazil 2014 topscorer James Rodriguez came on for the last half-hour after labouring in training with a calf strain but could not pull his side level after Osako’s goal.
Travelling Colombia fans turned the Mordovia Arena into a sea of yellow, but were soon stunned into silence.
When Osako fired in a shot from Japan’s first attack, Sanchez blocked the effort with a raised arm.
Referee Damir Skomina showed him a straight red card after pointing to the spot without referring to the Video Assistant Referee (VAR).
The Colombians bitterly protested but Kagawa drilled home the spot kick to put Japan ahead in the sixth minute.
Colombia coach Jose Pekerman made a tactical switch on 31 minutes, with Wilmar Barrios replacing Juventus midfielder Juan Cuadrado.
The pressure paid off as Quintero’s low free-kick flew under Japan’s wall and crept inside the post shortly before half-time. Japanese pressure paid off when Osako, who was a constant menace to the Colombia defence, leapt highest from a corner and guided his header in off the post with 17 minutes to go.
With football fever running high as World Cup matches are being screened live on TV daily, students and educators are balancing their love for the game with the endof-year exams and schedules.
This year, the 21st Fifa World Cup is being played in Russia from June 14 to July 15. Many students in the UAE are sitting for their final exams or term exams, depending on the curriculum, until the last week of June.
However, pupils and teachers, who are also busy with the end-of-year workload, said it does not have to be a case of choosing one over the other. With planning and discipline, it is possible to accommodate both, they said.
Yousuf Asif, a Grade 8 student at GEMS Our Own Indian School, Dubai, has printed out a schedule of all his favourite teams playing so he can plan his studies accordingly.
“I’m only going to watch the whole match live on TV of my favourite teams Brazil and Argentina; the rest I can watch as highlights later. To make more room for studies, I’m cutting back on any distractions like smart devices or games. I’ve even got printouts of the dates and timings of the matches, and I will plan my studies around that accordingly,” said Yousef, 13, from India.
To add to most parents’ relief, the most crucial matches — quarter finals, semi-finals and final — are scheduled to start only after schools have closed for the summer vacation in the first week of July.
At this initial stage, there are three matches a day, and students who want to follow all of them may not find much time to study. There is only about an hour’s break between the day’s first match, which runs from 4 to about 6pm, and the second encounter that begins at 7pm. An hour after the second match finishes at about 9pm, the final match of the day begins at 10pm.
“My nine-year-old son is very passionate about football, and he insisted that we subscribe to the TV channel so that he could watch all the matches. Fortunately though, all his Grade 5 exams have finished. I also find that he is extra efficient between matches and makes sure that he finishes all his assignments, especially because we let him watch the late match, so I am not too worried,” said Moushmi Mohanty, a 43-year-old homemaker from India.
Mohanty added that it is also not a good idea to forcibly keep children away from the activities they love.
“My son is a sports club member and loves football. So even if he had assessments, I would try to work out a routine that would help him both study and catch up with the day’s important
Parents can also ask children to decide on an appropriate timetable that will help them strike a balance between their studies and the matches.”
Ahmad Al Bastaki | Emirates National Schools
I also find that my son is extra efficient between matches and makes sure that he finishes all his assignments, especially because we let him watch the late match, so I am not too worried.”
Moushmi Mohanty | Indian homemaker
matches,” she said.
Iain College, principal at Raha International School, added that the timings of this World Cup should not be too disruptive for young fans in the UAE.
“The World Cup timings are not having a huge impact on schools here as the Russian time zones are similar to the UAE, and most games start after school,” College said.
“However, some matches do finish a little late and for families who have football-mad children, it is essential that parents ensure all homework is completed on time and that children are only allowed to watch the odd late game, to ensure that they get enough sleep, as it can be detrimental to learning if students are tired. This is a rule I will be following myself! I hope to watch a few games, particularly England, but I will make sure I get some early nights during the rest of the week too,” he added.
The school follows the International Baccalaureate curriculum, and the majority of end-of-year assessments have already been completed.
Ahmad Al Bastaki, deputy director-general for school operations at Emirates National Schools, advised parents to draft a study timetable for children who are football fans.
“Maybe children in middle and high school will be interested in the matches, and parents must ensure that they understand their responsibilities as students. They can also ask children to decide on an appropriate timetable that will help them strike a balance between their studies and the matches,” Al Bastaki said.