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Japan failed to ensure their qualification from Group E of this World Cup as they fell to a surprise defeat at the hands of Costa Rica on Sunday.
Having pulled off a shock win of their own over Germany in their first match, the Samurai Blue looked all but certain to make it out of their group, with a win over Costa Rica enough to seal their place in the last 16.
But Keysher Fuller’s late strike and Japan’s failure to create meaningful chances means the group still remains in the balance, with Germany and Spain set for a crunch meeting later on Sunday.
Eager to avoid a repeat of their humiliating 7-0 defeat against Spain in their first match, Costa Rica quickly dropped into a compact 5-4-1 shape and gave their opponents little room to manoeuvre.
The move worked well, limiting Japan’s chances and frustrating them throughout the first half as they failed time and time again to find an inch of space behind the Costa Rican back line.
Japan moved to a back three of their own after the interval, perhaps looking to push their full-backs up higher to stretch the opposition’s defence, and it almost paid dividends straight after the restart when substitute Takuma Asano found space and forced a save from Keylor Navas.
The change seemed to work as intended, with Japan seeing more of the ball and looking considerably more likely to create something as the second half wore on.
But just ten minutes from time, Costa Rica took a shock lead with their first shot on target as Fuller curled home on his left foot from the edge of the box. Japanese goalkeeper Shuichi Gonda was notably out of position when the shot came in, leaving him unable to prevent Fuller’s strike from finding the net.
It was the culmination of a frustrating day for Japan, who were sloppy with their passing and failed to open up a resolute Costa Rican defence.
The result means Spain, Japan and Costa Rica all sit on three points in Group E, with Spain having played one game fewer.
Germany, meanwhile, have no points, although they could level the group up entirely with a win over Spain this evening.
GK: Shuichi Gonda 5/10 – Hardly tested all game, then found himself off his line and out of position for Costa Rica’s first shot on target.
RB: Miki Yamane – 6/10 – Solid at right-back, but gave way for Mitoma as Japan pushed for a winner.
CB: Ko Itakura – 6/10 – A fine performance, although Japan weren’t tested much.
CB: Maya Yoshida – 7/10 – Led his side well, even if it wasn’t to be.
LB: Yuto Nagatomo – 6/10 – Not a terrible first-half display, but gave way at half-time as Japan looked to up the ante with a new shape.
CM: Wataru Endo – 5/10 – Consistently wayward with his passing to compound a disappointing day for Japan.
CM: Hidemasa Morita – 6/10 – Not bad, but failed to help his side gain full control of the match.
RW: Ritsu Doan – 5/10 – The Freiburg man has the potential to be a difference-maker for Japan, but was disappointingly quiet.
AM: Daichi Kamada – 5/10 – A lacklustre display from the Eintracht Frankfurt playmaker.
LW: Yuki Soma – 6/10 – Lacked quality to change the game and ultimately gave way to Minamino.
ST: Ayase Ueda – 5/10 – Struggled to get any joy against a resolute Costa Rica defence and was hooked at half-time.
SUB: Takuma Asano – 6/10
SUB: Hiroki Ito – 6/10
SUB: Kaoru Mitoma – 7/10
SUB Junya Ito – 6/10
SUB: Takumi Minamino – N/A
Manager: Hajime Moriyasu – 6/10 – The change of formation at half-time shifted the balance of the game massively in Japan’s favour, and Moriyasu deserves some credit for this – but his side lacked the spark they showed against Germany.
GK: Keylor Navas – 7/10 – Only had one or two saves to make, but he made them.
RWB: Keysher Fuller – 8/10 – Dealt with the threat of Japan well enough, then popped up out of nowhere with a lovely goal on his left foot.
CB: Oscar Duarte – 7/10 – Kept his concentration for the whole match and denied Japan many meaningful chances.
CB: Kendall Waston – 6/10 – Less assured than his defensive partners, but still not a bad game.
CB: Francisco Calvo – 7/10 – Had a decent game, but will now be suspended for the Germany match after picking up a booking.
LWB: Bryan Oviedo – 6/10 – Like Fuller, the former Everton man defended well but was unable to influence the offensive side of Costa Rica’s game.
RM: Gerson Torres – 5/10 – Was unable to make any noteworthy impact on the match.
CM: Celso Borges – 7/10 – One of Costa Rica’s better performers, Borges looked assured in midfield throughout.
CM: Yeltsin Tejeda – 6/10 – Clumsy in possession and at fault for a number of spells of possession breaking down, but salvaged something from the game by setting Fuller up to score.
LM: Joel Campbell – 7/10 – The closest thing to an attacking threat that Costa Rica had to offer, the former Arsenal man did his best to invent something of note on the left flank.
ST: Anthony Contreras – 5/10 – Had no service and no chances. A day to forget.
SUB: Brandon Aguilera – 6/10
SUB: Jewison Bennette – 6/10
SUB: Youstin Salas – N/A
Manager: Luis Suarez – 7/10 – Obviously set his team up to be harder to beat, and succeeded in doing so. They might have been lucky to win, but this was a vastly improved performance.
