World Cup 2018, Columbia vs Japan: 5 talking points

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Colombian fans at Saransk lit up the stadium with their exuberance

#2 Sanchez fluffs his lines

2018 FIFA World Cup Group Stage: Colombia 1 - 2 Japan
2018 FIFA World Cup Group Stage: Colombia 1 - 2 Japan

Carlos Sanchez will probably remember World Cup 2018 for all the wrong reasons. The defensive midfielder was sent off as early as the 4th minute after hi blatant handball gave the referee no choice other than to produce a red card. While Carlos Sanchez was the one who bore the brunt of the punishment, it was the other Sanchez’s (Davinson) mistake that led to the series of calamitous events.

Davinson failed to deal with the bouncing ball and in the process allowed Osako to burst clear and fire off that initial shot which caused the panic situation. Ospina having saved the initial shot would have expected his defence to do better. But as things turned out, he was soon picking the ball out of his net as Kagawa made no mistake in planting his penalty down the middle of the goal, giving Japan the lead.

The red card though seemed to knock the stuffing out of Colombia as the mood dampened amongst the fans as they realized it was an uphill task. Thereafter, it was a matter of when Japan would extend their lead. The “Samurai Blues” played some enterprising football but mostly it was the necessity of patient approach that led to them creating attacking opportunities.

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Edited by Kishan Prasad
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