If seeing James Rodriguez left out of the starting 11 due to injury wasn't enough, Colombian fans were left devastated when their team was reduced to 10 men after Carlos Sánchez was awarded the first red card of the tournament.

Japan capitalised on this chance when Shinji Kagawa converted the subsequent penalty, sending goalkeeper David Ospina the wrong way.

However, the Samurai Blue couldn't make their numerical advantage count as Colombia equalised through Juan Quintero's free-kick before half time.

The men in yellow weren't able to keep this momentum going, though, despite strategic structure changes.

Japan were back to their technical best in the second half, maintaining possession before they were rewarded with a second goal from a Keisuke Honda corner.

This win was worth so much more than three points for Japan. Not only have they redeemed themselves after a 4-1 loss against Colombia in 2014 but they have also made World Cup history, becoming the first team from Asia to beat a South American team.      

Colombia

David Ospina- 7.5

Read the game well even when under sustained pressure in the second half. Could possibly have come off his line more for Honda’s corner but dealt well with all other set pieces.

Santiago Arias- 6

Wasn’t always in the thick of things but showed up to clean up any scraps. Pushed forward to give Colombia a much needed attacking boost in the dying moments.  

Oscar Murillo- 6

A tough day in the office for the centre-back but he remained calm despite the pressure, positioning himself well to get to contested balls first.

Davinson Sánchez- 5

Got caught out and wrong footed in defence and had some issues dealing with Inui.  

 

 

 

 

Johan Mojica - 7

If someone had the ball on the left hand side it was Mojica. He not only worked hard off the ball but made sure his teammates did as well, gesturing to let them know exactly where he wanted them to be.

Jefferson Lerma- 6.5

Defended well in the air, preventing crosses from finding their intended targets with well-timed headers and managed to win the ball back at crucial times for Colombia.   

Carlos Sánchez- 1

Was on the field for three minutes and was awarded the first red card of the tournament (and the second fastest in World Cup history) for his efforts.

Juan Cuadrado- 7

Slick is the only way to describe his footwork as he seemed to skip past defenders with incredible speed. His early substitution was a direct result of the one man deficit as José Pékerman looked to free up Quintero.

Juan Quintero- 8

Going down to ten men forced Quintero to play a deeper midfield role which is a direct contrast to his natural style of attacking play. Once Barrios came on he was able to play to his strengths and proved he could provide a similar spark to Rodriguez. His brilliantly driven free-kick levelled the scores before half time.

Jose Izquierdo- 6

A quiet game by Jose’s regular standards, he made way in the 70th minute as Colombia changed back to a more attacking formation.

Radamel Falcao - 7

Did his best to immediately level the score with two impressive aerial efforts but fatigue got the best of him as he faded in towards the end of the game.

Subs

Wilmar Barrios- 5.5

His substitution was key in changing the tempo of the first half but he was unable to extend this into the second.

James Rodriguez- 5

Was greeted by a roar from the crowd when he came on in the 58th minute and immediately went looking for the ball. However Japan did well to not give it to him, frustrating him to the point of a yellow card.   

Carlos Bacca- 5

Came on in the 70th minute to partner Falcao up front but had little impact on the game.  

Japan

Eiji Kawashima- 7

The veteran keeper showed his experience, easily dealing with Falcao’s volleys at the start of the match to maintain Japan’s advantage. Not much he could do about the free-kick as it was slotted just out of reach.

Hiroki Sakai- 6

Pressed the one man advantage for Japan, pushing up the field to provide width to Japan’s attack and getting the ball to players in the box.

Maya Yoshida- 8

Lead from the back, switching up play to create space laterally for Japan. He played a deep centre-back role that allowed him to dictate the pace of the game following Japan’s early lead. Looked dangerous in the air from set pieces.

Gen Shoji- 7

A quiet game from the Japanese defender, he worked well with Yoshida to anchor the defence.  

Yuto Nagatomo- 7.5

Was seemingly everywhere Japan needed him to be, providing urgency to their technical style of play. However, his tendency to hang onto the ball in the second half resulted in easy turn overs.

Makoto Hasebe- 6

Had his hands full with Mojic but did extremely well to not dive in, instead keeping the Colombian attackers out wide to give Japan time to get bodies behind the ball.  

Gaku Shibasaki- 6

Didn’t do much to stand out but put the effort in to get back and defend.  

Genki Haraguchi- 5.5

Pushed forward to pressure the defence but couldn't’t seem to get his positioning and timing exactly right to pose a real threat in around goal.

Shinji Kagawa- 8

Took a risk by placing his penalty directly down the centre of the goal but it paid off to give Japan the lead after just over three minutes of play. He almost had a second soon after and always had a hand in Japan’s attacking efforts.  

Takashi Inui- 7

Inui proved troublesome for Colombia’s defence, driving the ball directly at them and into the box. However, he didn't manage to work his way into a comfortable shooting position.  

Yuya Osako- 8.5

Played right up on Colombia’s back line and was able to turn them inside out on more than one occasion. Won the lead back for his team with an expertly directed header.

Subs

Keisuke Honda- 7

Made his presence felt immediately with a shot on goal within seconds of him taking to the field. A well weighted corner set Osako up for his goal.

Hotaru Yamaguchi- 5

A late substitute, Yamaguchi didn't have much time to make his impact felt.

Shinji Okazaki –N/A

With only five minutes of game time Okazaki didn’t quite have the opportunity to showcase his experience.