Japan enacted sweet revenge for their defeat to Colombia four years ago with a shock 2-1 win over their South American rivals in a pulsating game that saw Colombia play 87 minutes with ten men.
Shinji Kagawa buried an early spot kick as ex-Aston Villa man Carlos Sanchez was sent off after just three minutes for a deliberate handball in a nightmare start for Colombia.
Yet it was defender Davinson Sanchez who was the principal villain for Jose Pekerman’s side as the Spurs man endured a horrendous World Cup debut with a series of costly mistakes at the heart of his team’s defence.
With practically his first touch of the game, the 21-year-old centre back was inexplicably caught in possession by Yuya Osaka who seized control of the ball and tested David Ospina.
The Arsenal man palmed the low effort away but from the rebound Carlos Sanchez struck out his hand to block Kagawa’s shot. The ex-Villa flop was rightly sent off and Colombia’s game plan was thrown out of the window.
