Japan take full advantage after Sanchez sees red
Former Aston Villa midfielder Carlos Sanchez became the first player to be sent off at Russia 2018, while Japan’s shock triumph made them the first Asian side to beat South American opponents in a World Cup.
Sanchez’s dismissal in the third minute, for a deliberate handball in the box, was a massive blow for Colombia. It was the second fastest red card in World Cup history – Uruguay’s Jose Batista was sent off after 55 seconds against Scotland in 1986.
Shinji Kagawa scored from the resultant penalty to give Japan the lead in the Group H match.
Juan Quintero equalised with a clever, low free-kick in the 39th minute, 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 three minutes, such a crucial player, is not an easy thing,” said Colombia’s Argentine coach, Jose Pekerman. “We were hoping to start with a victory. This is going to leave us with a bitter memory.”
With Colombia ranked 16th in the world and Japan 61st, the South Americans were expected to win. It was also sweet revenge for Japan, who were thumped 4-1 by the same opponents in Brazil 2014.
“I told them at half-time to keep moving, get the advantage in positioning,” said Japan coach Akira Nishino. “It was good we could deprive Colombia’s front players of their stamina.”
With Japan dominating the midfield, Pekerman replaced Juan Cuadrado with defensive midfielder Wilmar Barrios. That allowed his team a foothold in the match and Colombia’s all-time leading scorer and captain Radamel Falcao came more into the game.
Falcao, making his World Cup debut, stretched full length to get his foot to an overhead cross but did not have the power to beat the goalkeeper. In a last throw of the dice, Pekerman turned to James Rodriguez, who did not start due to a calf problem, in the 59th minute but the Golden Boot winner in Brazil four years ago had no major impact. Colombia Sent off Japan Referee