JAPAN 2 COLOMBIA 1 (SARANSK)
Japan upset Group H favorites Colombia registering a 2-1 victory on Tuesday. The Asian side gained advantage almost immediately after Carlos Sanchez Moreno committed a handball inside the box in the third minute, calling for the tournament’s first red card and a penalty. Shinji Kagawa stepped up and scored, finding the back of the net. Down to 10 men, the Latin American side remained resilient and retaliated with a stunning free kick by Juan Fernando Quintero to equalize. The disadvantage gradually wore on Los Cafeteros, however, as the Colombians could not challenge the Japanese goal, failing to register a shot on goal in almost 30 minutes. Japan found their winner in the 73rd minute when a Keisuke Honda cross found the head of Yuya Osako to give the Blue Samurai the victory.
POLAND 1 SENEGAL 2 (MOSCOW)
A determined Senegal triumphed against Poland 2-1 in yet another World Cup shocker. The match started slowly as both sides failed to attempt a shot on target within the first half an hour of the match. The tempo then heightened as an interplay by M’Baye Niang and Sadio Mane allowed Idrissa Gueye to cut through the center and strike the ball. In his attempt to defend Gueye’s efforts, Polish defender Thiago Cionek deflected the ball into the back of the net, giving Senegal the 1-0 lead on an own goal. The second half saw the European side make another grand mistake when goalkeeper, Wojchiech Szcezsny, left his post in a defensive effort, enabling Niang to sweep behind and double Senegal’s lead by scoring his first World Cup goal. Minutes before the final whistle, Poland reacted with a header by Grzegorz Krychowiak, making the score 2-1.
RUSSIA 3 EGYPT 1 (ST. PETERSBURG)
Russia essentially secured a spot in the knockout round after defeating Egypt 3-1 in St. Petersburg. Egyptian star, Mohamed Salah made his return, but struggled, making a mere
five touches in the first half, fewer than any other outfield player. Roman Zobnin put the hosts up with a strike that deflected off of an Egyptian defender into the back of the net. The weakened Egyptian side struggled in defending as the Russians doubled their lead when Denis Cheryshev found the back of the net. Almost immediately after, Artem Dzyuba gave Russia the 3-0 lead with an unstoppable shot into the post. Egypt pulled one back on a Salah penalty kick, but they could not recover.
