Japan v Senegal player ratings

After emerging as surprise winners from round one, Senegal and Japan faced off to see who would remain top of Group H.

End to end play is quickly becoming the defining characteristic of Group H games, with both Japan and Senegal transitioning quickly into attack.

Sadio Mane gave Senegal an early lead, making the most of a goalkeeping error, before Japan struck back through Takashi Inui to level things up at half-time.

Japan took control of the second half but Moussa Wague only needed one opportunity to put Senegal ahead against the run of play.

Their lead was short lived as Keisuke Honda made an immediate impact coming off the bench and the game ended 2-2.

Japan

Eiji Kawashima- 6

Misdirected a punch which resulted in the first goal, leaving him seemingly unsettled for the rest of the game.

Hiroki Sakai- 7

Not afraid to run the ball out of danger, creating attacking opportunities from transitional play.

Maya Yoshida- 8

Was solid in defence and worked well to track Mane’s runs.

Gen Shoji- 6

Quiet game but when he did have the ball he showed technique, with first touches creating space in the middle of the park.

Yuto Nagatomo- 8.5

His forward movement was somewhat restricted as he had to deal with the attacking threats on the left side. Assisted Japan’s first goal.

Makoto Hasebe-8

Read the game well, allowing him to push forward without having to scramble back into position.

Gaku Shibasaki- 7.5

Proved difficult to track for the Senegalese defence, working his way behind the defence to get on the end of through balls.

Genki Haraguchi- 5.5

An uncharacteristically botched defensive header gifted Senegal the ball close to goal but he was otherwise a threat in the air.

Shinji Kagawa- 5

Kept quiet for most of the game and was replaced by Honda in the 72^nd minute.

Takashi Inui- 9

His fancy footwork created chances upfront for Japan and an excellent finish saw the sides draw level. He also rattled the crossbar in the second.

Yuya Osako- 6

His first touch let him down and while he did well to try and regain the ball, more often than not it resulted in lost possession.

Subs

Keisuke Honda- 8

Was exactly the impact substitute that Japan needed after conceding against the run of play. Found himself in the right place at the right time to add his name to the score sheet.

Takashi Usami- N/A

With little over four minutes left on the clock Usami got his first taste of World Cup football.

Senegal

Khadim N’Diaye- 5

Was caught out of position a few times and unable to get a touch on the ball in crucial moments.

Youssouf Sabaly- 5

Gave Japan too much space when defending, sending his teammates scrambling to cover.

Kalidou Koulibaly- 6.5

Worked really well with Sane, often providing the short passing option to get away from goal.

Salif Sane- 7

Used his height advantage to full effect to win aerial contests and positioned himself well to get to the ball first.

Moussa Wague- 8.5

His overlapping runs increased Senegal’s attacking scope. He fired multiple crosses into the box, one of which resulted in the first goal. He sat on the edge of the box to pick up any scraps and was rewarded with a goal.

Ismaila Sarr- 7

Used his pace down the right, frustrating the Japanese defence into conceding multiple fouls.

Alfred N’Diaye – 6.5

Started the game in control of midfield but dropped off in the second half and was replaced with 25 minutes to go.

Idrissa Gana Gueye- 8

Good movement off the ball saw him shifting and sliding over to act as the passing link between the backline and the strikers.

Mbaye Niang – 9

Swung in some dangerous corners and constantly tested Japan, not just with his pace but with his ability to abruptly change it which made him very difficult to mark.

Sadio Mane- 7

It is easy to think he was simply gifted his goal but it was a classic example of his unique ability to be in the right place at the right time. Demonstrated some impressive ball control in and around the box.