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Exited in the Round of 16
Japan
While defence has been the favoured suit for Asian nations to harbour any ambitions of moving forward in global competitions Japan displayed a refreshing attacking mode making them the best Asian bet. In a group of equals, they made it through to the knockouts because of fair-play, a just reward for their fans who would pick up trash from the stadiums at the end of a game.
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Their game against Belgium gave us arguably the game of the tournament – open game play, fair tackles, no playacting and some great goals. Japan exited with heads held high. Not since Ahn Jung Hwan in 2002 has an Asian player created as much interest as Takashi Inui did with his probing runs and super strikes – a future star.
Switzerland
Switzerland was spirited right through. They showed their mettle in a 1-1 draw against Brazil and followed it with two goals each in the win against Serbia and the draw against Sweden. The Swiss-Kosovan pair of Xerdan Shaqiri and Granit Xhaka made enough noise on the field to unsettle oppositions not to mention the political storm they raised in their win over Serbia. They took their attacking mode to the Round of 16, but the high possession did not convert to goals as Sweden prevailed and Switzerland exited.
Columbia
Their sterling performance from the 2014 edition meant much was expected out of Columbia in Russia’ 2018. However, in the very limited presence of the talismanic James Rodriguez, top scorer in Brazil, who was struggling with injury, Columbia managed a fair return – a round of 16 loss to England in penalties. Despite a defeat to Japan in their first game, they bounced back to finish group toppers.
Another Columbian star came to light in the form of Yerry Mina who ended with the most goals for a defender (3) in this edition.
