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The sixth tiebreaker in the rule book is the so called “fair play”rule: whichever team had the fewest yellow and red cards in the tournament would advance. Japan had four yellows. Senegal six.
Knowing the situation, Japan spent the last few minutes calmly passing the ball around. With the game won, Poland was happy to do the same. It was a strange ending to a World Cup game. It was also a bit risky for Japan: Had Senegal scored in the dying moments, Japan would have been out.
For Poland, which had already been eliminated, it was a win for pride. For Japan, it was a loss to remember.
Here’s how Poland defeated Japan:
92’: Absolutely Nothing Is Happening
Japan is assuming Colombia will close out Senegal at 1-0.
90’: Umm...
Not a lot is happening right now. Both teams happy with the score as it stands. Three minutes of injury time.
86’: Risky Strategy?
Japan gets the ball, and, well, it doesn’t exactly race toward goal with urgency. It passes it around a bit. Of course, the Japanese know they are currently advancing, but a goal by Senegal would change that. This caution seems a little risky.
83’: Poland Keeping Ball Away From Japan
Poland is trying to kill off the game with some careful passing. Japan can’t seem to get the ball right now.
78’: Colombia Helps Japan With a Goal
Colombia scores in the other game. If the results stay the same, Japan might just sneak through! It would have the same goal difference as Senegal, 4 scored, 4 surrendered, but it has fewer yellow cards, the next tie breaker.
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76’: Almost 2-0!!!
Poland gets a 2-on-2 break, Grosicki crosses it right to Lewandowski in front of net. Will Lewandowki finally get his goal? He slides, gets his foot on it, and sends it over. Tough Cup for Lewandowski.
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73’: Japan Scrambling for Equalizer
A great leap by Yoshida, and he gets his head to a corner, but he doesn’t have a whole lot of control and it goes wide.
70’: Sub Inui With a Shot!
Takashi Inui takes a shot with one of his first touches. It’s way wide.
69’: Poland Keeps Pressure On
Grosicki heads a ball wide. Lewandowski looks perturbed. If Grosicki had let that one go by, it could have been on Lewandowski’s head instead. Poland having the better of the play right now.
66’: Japan Brings in Another Scorer
Japan brings in sub No. 2. Yes, it’s another one of its goal-scorers, Takashi Inui.
63’: Japan Chance Stopped
Japan puts the ball in Poland’s end and gets off a couple of crosses and shots. But all of them are blocked by Poland’s defense.
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61’: Japan in Trouble!
With the other game at 0-0, both Colombia and Senegal would advance and Japan would be out. Japan must score!
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60’: GOAL Poland!
Bednarek scores off the free kick by Rafal Kurzawa. Racing forward, he was not adequately marked and was able to get off a fine shot.
58’: Chance for Japan
Good footwork by Usami helps him get a low cross in, but Glik is there to break it up for Poland.
57’: Japan Playing Dangerously
I hate to urge a team to play cautiously, but Japan should not be leaving itself short at the back to press for a goal when a draw is good enough for it to advance.
54’: Poland Chance!
Poland breaks with numbers and the ball gets to Zielinski with only the keeper to beat. But Kawashima dives on it first.
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47’: Japan Sub
Okazaki limps off for Japan. He’ll be replaced by Osako, a proven goal scorer. Perhaps this will shake things up.
46’ Second Half Begins
Japan will advance if it can hold on to the draw here.
Your Halftime Stats
Shots: 5-5. (Only one of Poland’s was on target, three of Japan’s.) Poland leads narrowly in possession and pass accuracy. As for everyone’s favorite category, clearances, Japan leads, 15-11. That’s 26 clearances so far in this game. In contrast, the other game has 10.
Halftime
0-0. A game without a lot of good chances. But if you like clearances, blocked shots and interceptions, this may be your favorite of the tournament.
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38’: Another Poland Chance
Grosicki’s corner is poor, but after it is cleared Kurzawa of Poland rushes in for a shot. He hits it very hard and very, very high.
35’: Japan Chance
Usami of Japan pokes one across the goalmouth. Fabianski punches it away.
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33’: What a Save!
Grosicki’s header is stopped by a fantastic one-handed diving save by Kawashima! Easily the chance, and save of the game. Kawashima’s making up for his shaky performances earlier in the tournament.
27’: Poland’s Defense Holding
Cross by Japan headed clear. Corner to Japan headed clear. Poland using its height advantage. Glik in particular is a big guy who is dominating the center.
22’: Chance for Poland
Header by Glik of Poland just wide. And keeper Kawashima was on hand in any case.
21’: Short Passes Everywhere
Many games at this Cup have turned into contrasts of styles, with one team (usually the favorite) playing a deliberate short-passing style and the other pushing the ball directly forward in hopes of an opportunistic goal. Not so this game; both sides are going with the deliberate style of play.
17’: Where’s Japan’s Offense?
Sakai tries a tame shot from outside of the box, but it’s right to the keeper. Where’s Japan’s offensive firepower? Possibly all on the bench?
13’: Chance for Japan!
Yoshinori Muto pulls off a steal in the Poland box, holds the ball and eventually it gets to Okazaki whose diving header is well wide.
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5’: No Chances, But Poland Controlling Ball
No chances yet, but Poland has controlled the action. Though it is the eliminated team, Poland is a (very) slight favorite with bookmakers.
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0’ Kickoff!
Poland in white, The new look Japan team in blue. How will Japan fare with all four of its scorers on the bench?
How Japan Can Advance
A quick reminder of the situation today: Japan must win or draw to advance. It could also advance with a loss, but it would then have to rely on the other game breaking right, which of course it would much rather not do. As for Poland, it cannot advance, but surely would love to leave Russia with a good result. And striker Robert Lewandowski, still goalless, will be eager to get on the scoreboard.
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Japan’s Starting Lineup
Goalkeeper: 1 Eiji Kawashima (Metz)
Defenders: 5 Yuto Nagatomo (Galatasaray), 20 Tomoaki Makino (Urawa), 22 Maya Yoshida (Southampton), 19 Hiroki Sakai (Marseille), 21 Gotoku Sakai (Hamburg)
Midfielders: 16 Hotaru Yamaguchi (Cerezo Osaka), 11 Takashi Usami (Augsburg), 7 Gaku Shibasaki (Getafe)
Forwards: 9 Shinji Okazaki (Leicester), 13 Yoshinori Muto (Mainz)
Some changes for Japan, but not the expected one. Eiji Kawashima will remain between the sticks despite some errors in his first two games. But Shinji Kagawa, Yuya Osoko, Takashi Inui and Keisuke Honda are on the bench — despite being the four players who have scored for Japan!
Poland’s Starting Lineup
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Goalkeeper: 22 Lukasz Fabianski (Swansea City)
Defenders: 5 Jan Bednarek (Southampton), 18 Bartosz Bereszynski (Sampdoria), 15 Kamil Glik (Monaco), 3 Artur Jedrzejczyk (Legia Warsaw)
Midfielders: 6 Jacek Goralski (Ludogorets Razgrad), 11 Kamil Grosicki (Hull City), 10 Grzegorz Krychowiak (Paris St Germain), 21 Rafal Kurzawa (Gornik Zabrze), 19 Piotr Zielinski (Napoli)
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Forward: 9 Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich)
Poland have swapped goalkeepers, with Wojciech Szczesny out and Lukasz Fabianski in.
Japan vs. Poland Top Story Lines
• Japan has qualified for five previous World Cups, advancing past the group stage twice. Poland has not made the second round of a World Cup since 1986.
• Poland cannot advance to the next round. But for Japan, the game matters. A win or a draw would be enough for Japan to go through. If Japan loses, it could still advance, but will need a little help: It would need Senegal to win, or Colombia to win by a smaller margin than Japan loses by.
• Japan beat Colombia, with goals by Shinji Kagawa and Yuya Osoko, then rallied twice to draw Senegal 2-2, with Takashi Inui and Keisuke Honda scoring.
• Robert Lewandowski, the ace marksman for Bayern Munich, has been a disappointment for Poland so far, failing to score despite taking seven shots, three of them on target.
• Poland was outplayed by Senegal and Colombia, surrendering five total goals and scoring only one, by Grzegorz Krychowiak.
• “We gave Polish people a lot of joy in the last four years. We didn’t give the fans those dreams here at all. We want to change it tomorrow,” said winger Jakub Blaszczykowski.
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Japan vs Poland: Live Updates, Score and Reaction from World Cup Game
Japan (National Football) vs Poland (National Football)
Volgograd
Group H concludes on Thursday, with Japan facing off against Poland knowing that a point will be good enough to take them into the knockout stages of the World Cup. After losing their opening two games of the tournament, Poland will be heading home after their clash with Japan in Volgograd. Still, Robert Lewandowski and co can have a say in the outcome of the group as Japan currently top the group but have Colombia and Senegal breathing down their necks.
Akira Nishino is a lucky man indeed. The Japan coach rolled the dice by making a raft of bewildering changes against Poland that almost backfired only to be spared humiliation back home courtesy of the fair play rule. Japan’s charmed life in Russia continues.
Japan were heading out after falling behind to Jan Bednarek’s volley shortly before the hour-mark and, at that point, Nishino looked like a ghost. It was possible to tell just by looking at that deeply worried expression on his face that he knew he had dropped one.
And then Colombia came to the rescue, or rather the towering figure of Yerry Mina did. The 6ft 5in defender’s winning goal against Senegal may just have earned him a place on Nishino’s Christmas card list. It also helped that Robert Lewandowski - pitiful here - missed a glorious chance to double Poland’s lead. He might be on the Christmas card list, too.
It was the equivalent of heading straight to Go in Monopoly and avoiding going directly to jail. Japan’s prize is not £200 in this instance but a place in the last 16, where they will face the winners of England-Belgium in Rostov-on-Don.
The backlash back in Japan might have been long and sustained had Nishino’s baffling decision to make six changes to the team that drew 2-2 against Senegal resulted in his team bowing out. Japan were not yet through but Nishino elected to rest five of his front six, including the four players who had scored their goals in the tournament so far.
Maya Yoshida and Eiji Kawashima celebrate. (Alex Livesey/Getty Images)
[Colombia wins Group H by edging Senegal]
Poland 1, Japan 0
There was plenty of drama in Group H as Jan Bednarek’s goal in the 59th minute Thursday in Volgograd gave Poland a 1-0 victory over Japan. But Japan advanced to the knockout round despite the loss.
Colombia’s simultaneous 1-0 victory over Senegal in Samara meant that fair play points determined whether Senegal or Japan would advance as Group H’s runner-up. Senegal and Japan finished level on points, goal differential and goals scored, and they drew in their head-to-head meeting. But Japan advanced because it was assessed two fewer yellow cards than Senegal. Colombia won the group by prevailing in its final two games after its opening loss to Japan.
Japan will face Group G’s winner, either Belgium or England, in the round of 16 on Monday in Rostov-on-Don. This is the third time in the past five World Cups that Japan has reached the knockout phase.
[Colombia wins Group H]
Boos and whistles rained down for the last 10 minutes or so as Japan played it safe, hoping the scores of both matches would hold. It was ugly but effective.
Poland take the lead!
Bednarek volleys it home off the free kick to go up 1-0 on Japan. #JPNPOL pic.twitter.com/mBBkXPk5ze — FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) June 28, 2018
***
In-game updates
Thanks to Japan’s Eiji Kawashima, who made one of the best saves of the tournament, Japan and Poland start the second half in a 0-0 tie in Volgograd.
Part of the ball touched the plane of the goal line in the 31st minute, but Kawashima was up to the task of stopping the shot by Kamil Grosicki, who had begun his celebration only to have his expression turn to disappointment as goal-line technology helped save the day for Japan.
Poland thought they had scored, but Kawashima comes up with a BIG save! pic.twitter.com/RhnUrSq35b — FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) June 28, 2018
He added another nifty play early in the second half, reading a play on which Robert Lewandowski was about to bear down on him one-on-one.
Right out of the gate, Japan put a scare into Poland with goaltender Lukasz Fabianski racing to the edge of the penalty area to beat Takashi Usami to the ball on a long shot in the first minute. Japan kept the pressure on Fabianski but couldn’t find the net.
Japan can advance with a win or a draw, but its players are thinking bigger — much bigger — on the final day of the group stage. “I don’t think we can enter the match looking for a draw and to get the results we want,” captain Makoto Hasebe said. “Although we earned four points in two matches, we haven’t accomplished anything yet.”
Poland, the first European country eliminated from the World Cup after its loss to Colombia, is headed home after Thursday’s game despite being the group’s highest-ranked team entering the tournament.
Japan has altered its lineup in a nod to the heat (temperatures are in the high 90s at the start) and humidity in Volgograd. However, Eiji Kawashima remains in goal.
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[Here’s the knockout round bracket and schedule]
Team profiles
Japan (1-1-0, 4 points)
Previous results: defeated Colombia, 2-1; drew with Senegal, 2-2.
What’s at stake: A point would guarantee Japan’s spot in the next round.
Notable: In two previous World Cup matches with Poland, Japan has scored seven goals while giving up none.
FIFA world ranking: 61. ELO world ranking: 32.
Poland (0-0-2, 0 points)
Previous results: lost to Senegal, 2-1; lost to Colombia, 3-0.
What’s at stake: Nothing. Poland has been eliminated from knockout-round contention, despite being the group’s highest-ranked team entering the tournament.
Notable: Poland hopes to avoid losing all three of its World Cup games for the first time.
FIFA world ranking: 8. ELO world ranking: 25.
Read more about the World Cup:
Complete standings, results and schedule
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