Red card derails Colombia plans while Japan make World Cup history

The second-fastest sending off in World Cup history has Colombia fighting for survival after just one game. Meanwhile, Japan's historic win leaves them joint-top of Group H. Jose Pekerman's best laid plans were quickly thrown out the window and now his Columbia side must fight to save their World Cup campaign.
Columbia played nearly the entire match with 10 men in losing 2-1 to Japan in their Group H opener on Tuesday at Mordovia Arena in Saransk. That's because Carlos Sanchez received the tournament's first red card for a deliberate handball in the third minute, the second-earliest sending off in World Cup history.
Although the South Americans managed to get to half-time level, they wore down and finally succumbed to Yuya Osako's 73rd-minute header. "Normally you prefer a match to play 11 players against 11," Pekerman said afterwards. "We were expecting completely different, we were hoping to start with a victory."
Sanchez's sending off resulted in Shinji Kagawa opening the scoring from the penalty spot. The short-handed Colombians equalised in the 39th minute with a bit of cheek from Juan Quintera, who scored with a free-kick under the leaping wall. But the man disadvantage took its toll in the second half as Pekerman's players began to fade.
Not even the insertion of star midfielder James Rodriguez could help them grab a second goal. "The players made a huge effort, an effort which can be hard to produce, especially when you're playing with one man less," Pekerman admitted.
"They were worn down because we didn't have the perfect setup." Japan's win was the first by an Asian team over a South American side in 19 all-time World Cup meetings, but coach Akira Nishino wasn't looking to celebrate just yet. "If we won the World Cup, we would have a parade on the streets of Saransk," he said.
"It is just one win, three points, therefore we have to go to the next venue." So too must Colombia, who now must regroup before facing Poland, a 2-1 loser to Senegal in their opener, on Sunday in Kazan. That sets up a do-or-die situation for both with the winner keeping their knockout stage hopes alive.
Pekerman remained optimistic as he talked about his team's chances. "The positive side is you could see the team rise to the occasion and managed to get a draw [in the first half] despite losing one of our important players. "We can make up for this defeat in the next two matches."
In the other dressing room, Nishino was ecstatic as his side find themselves joint top of the group with their next opponent Senegal. "We aimed high coming up this match and we had a result," he said. "Every single player was very positive, especially in the second half.
"To be able to celebrate this victory after the opener I believe is a big advantage. "But of course the second and third matches are going to be tough."