FIFA World Cup 2018 day six: Japan, Senegal, Russia win three points

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Wednesday, June 20, 2018

Yesterday, day six of the 2018 FIFA footall World Cup, Japan defeated Colombia 2–1, Poland lost 1–2 against Senegal, and hosts Russia won 3–1 against Egypt.

Group H — Colombia 1–2 Japan

Colombia faced Japan in the first match of Group H at the Mordovia Arena in Saransk. Japan had greater ball possession in the match. In the 3rd minute of the match, Carlos Sánchez Moreno was sent off after he received a red card for a handball in the penalty area. Referee Damir Skomina awarded Japan a penalty kick and Shinji Kagawa scored from the penalty kick, giving Japan an early lead. In the 39th minute, Colombia won a free kick and Juan Quintero scored the free kick, equalising for Colombia. The first half ended with 1–1 on the scoreboard.

Colombian goalkeeper David Ospina saved an attempt by Takashi Inui in the 57th minute. Japan had multiple attempts on goal, and in the 73rd minute, Yuya Osako scored a close-range header from Keisuke Honda's assist, putting Japan in the lead. In the 78th minute, James Rodríguez's attempt to equalise for Colombia was blocked. Osako's goal turned out to be the match-winning goal for Japan as the final time score was 2–1.

This victory meant Japan became the first Asian country to defeat a South American nation at the FIFA World Cup. After the match, Japan's coach Akira Nishino said, "Our players were aggressive from the start and that worked very well for us. This is just one win and three points, so we will save our celebration." Yuya Osako was named Budweiser Man of the Match.

Group H — Poland 1–2 Senegal

Poland faced Senegal at the Spartak Stadium in Moscow for the second group H match. Poland had higher ball possession in the match. In the 12th minute, Poland's Grzegorz Krychowiak was shown a yellow card for a bad foul. In the 36th minute, Jakub Błaszczykowski was injured, causing a delay in the match. A minute later, Thiago Cionek ended up scoring an own goal, giving Senegal a 1–0 lead. Salif Sané's attempt in the 42nd minute to double the lead from a header missed. The first half ended with 1–0 on the scoreboard.

At the beginning of the second half, Błaszczykowski was substituted off for Jan Bednarek due to injury. In the 49th minute, Salif Sané was shown a yellow card for a bad foul as Polish captain Robert Lewandowski won a free kick. At the one-hour mark, M'Baye Niang doubled the lead for Senegal, scoring a goal from a poor back pass by Krychowiak. Arkadiusz Milik missed a close-range shot in the 70th minute. Krychowiak scored a goal from a header in the 86th minute as Poland trailed 1–2. The match ended, with Senegal winning three points in Moscow.

With this victory, Senegal became the first African country to win a match at this year's World Cup. M'Baye Niang won the Budweiser Man of the Match award. After the match, Senegal's manager said, "We managed to control the game tactically and emotionally. This victory means we enter the competition in the best possible way, but we know it will be a difficult match against Japan [...] I guarantee the whole of Africa is supporting us. I get phone calls from everywhere. We are proud to represent Africa."

Group A — Russia 3–1 Egypt

In the last match of the day, hosts Russia faced Egypt at Saint Petersburg. Both sides had almost equal ball possession. Russia started the game with attacking style, with Roman Zobnin, Sergei Ignashevich, Aleksandr Golovin and Denis Cheryshev attempting goals in the first fifteen minutes. Despite both teams' attempts, the first half remained goalless.

Two minutes into the second half, Russia got the lead as Ahmed Fathy scored an own goal. Russia doubled the lead just before the one-hour mark, as Denis Cheryshev scored his third goal of the tournament. Three minutes later, Artem Dzyuba scored from Ilya Kutepov's assist giving the hosts a 3–0 lead. Egypt won a penalty kick in the 72nd minute, as Roman Zobnin brought down Mohamed Salah at the edge of the penalty area. Salah scored from the penalty kick, scoring the first goal for Egypt at the FIFA World Cup since 1990. Amr Warda and Tarek Hamed attempted the goal in the last few minutes of the match. The match ended with Russia winning 3–1 over Egypt.

Russia has now scored eight goals in two matches, winning both. After the match Russia's coach Stanislav Cherchesov said, "It is not an accident that we have two wins under our belt. We have a group of solidarity. We need to rest well and see who is ready to do what and prepare ourselves well for the next game."


Group H standings as of June 19

Country Played Won Draw Loss Goals
for
Goals
against
Goal
diff
Pts
🇯🇵 Japan 1 1 0 0 2 1 1 3
🇸🇳 Senegal 1 1 0 0 2 1 1 3
🇵🇱 Poland 1 0 0 1 1 2 -1 0
🇨🇴 Colombia 1 0 0 1 1 2 -1 0

Group A standings as of June 19, 2018

Country Played Won Draw Loss Goals
for
Goals
against
Goal
diff
Pts
🇷🇺 Russia 2 2 0 0 8 1 7 6
🇺🇾 Uruguay 1 1 0 0 1 0 1 3
🇪🇬 Egypt 2 0 0 2 1 4 -3 0
🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia 1 0 0 1 0 5 -5 0

June 19, 2018
1500 MSK (UTC+0300)
Colombia 1–2 Japan Mordovia Arena, Saransk, Russia
Referee: Damir Skomina (Slovenia)
Juan Quintero Scored after 39 minutes 39'
Carlos Sánchez Moreno Sent off after 3' 3'
Wilmar Barrios Booked after 64 minutes 64'
James Rodríguez Booked after 86 minutes 86'
(1–1) HT Sinji Kagawa Scored after 6 minutes 6' (pen)
Yuya Osako Scored after 73 minutes 73'
Eiji Kawashima Booked after 90+3–4 minutes 90+3–4'

June 19, 2018
1800 MSK (UTC+0300)
Poland 1–2 Senegal Spartak Stadium, Moscow, Russia
Attendance: 44,190
Referee: Nawaf Shukralla (Bahrain)
Grzegorz Krychowiak Scored after 86 minutes 86'
Grzegorz Krychowiak Booked after 12 minutes 12'
(0–1) HT Thiago Cionek Scored after 37 minutes 37' (o.g.)
Mbaye Niang Scored after 60 minutes 60'
Salif Sané Booked after 49 minutes 49'
Idrissa Gueye Booked after 72 minutes 72'

June 19, 2018
2100 MSK (UTC+0300)
Russia 3–1 Egypt Saint Petersburg Stadium, Saint Petersburg, Russia
Attendance: 64,468
Referee: Enrique Cáceres (Paraguay)
Ahmed Fathi Scored after 47 minutes 47' (o.g.)
Denis Cheryshev Scored after 59 minutes 59'
Artyom Dzyuba Scored after 62 minutes 62'
Fedor Smolov Booked after 84 minutes 84'
(0–0) HT Mohamed Salah Scored after 73 minutes 73' (pen)
Trézéguet Booked after 57 minutes 57'


Sources