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GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, June 29, 2018
Colombia thump Senegal 1-0
Yerry Mina of Colombia (not pictured) scores his team’s first goal past Khadim Ndiaye of Senegal during the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia group H match between Senegal and Colombia at Samara Arena on June 28, 2018 in Samara, Russia. (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)
(REUTERS) COLOMBIA’S Yerry Mina thumped home a second-half header to secure a dramatic 1-0 victory over Senegal on Thursday that catapulted the South Americans into the World Cup last 16 and dumped their African opponents out of the tournament. Senegal had only needed a point in their final Group H game to reach the next round, but they will head home after missing out on the runnersup spot to Japan because they had a worse disciplinary record. It was the first time in World Cup history that a
team had been eliminated by the amount of yellow cards they had accrued in the tournament. Both Senegal and Japan, who were beaten 1-0 by Poland on Thursday, finished the group with four points and an identical record in all other respects. Yet the Asian side ended in second position having picked up four yellow cards to Senegal’s six. Colombia, top of the standings with six points, face a last-16 match against Group G runners-up England on Tuesday. Defeat for Senegal eliminated them at the group stage in their first World Cup appearance since 2002,
and left Africa without a representative in the knockout stages for the first time in 36 years. “Senegal doesn’t qualify because we don’t deserve it. This is one of the rules,” their coach Aliou Cisse said. “We have to respect it. We would prefer to be eliminated another way... We were fully committed and maybe because we were fully committed, we got more yellow cards.” Senegal had been heading through until the 74th minute when Mina rose to meet a corner and sent a bullet-header into the turf and bouncing up into the roof of the net.
Japan loses to Poland but advances to next round (REUTERS) - JAPAN lost 1-0 to Poland on Thursday but survived to become the only Asian side to qualify for last 16 of the World Cup in Russia — and the first team ever to progress thanks to FIFA’s new disciplinary tie-breaker rule. Japan made it through Group H in second place thanks to their players having been shown four yellow cards, two fewer than Senegal, who were eliminated, meaning Africa will have no representative in the knockout phase. Senegal, who lost 1-0 to Colombia, ended up level on points, goal difference and goals scored with Japan, so the teams were
separated by the tie-break rule introduced at this World Cup for the first time. Japan, who had only needed to draw against Poland to guarantee qualification, will next face a daunting task against the winners of Thursday’s Group G decider between England and Belgium. Their advance, though, came only after a risky gamble paid off. For after Colombia scored against Senegal in the 74th minute, putting qualification in Japan’s hands, coach Akira Nishino ordered his players to take no risks, an approach that slowed the game and earned resounding boos from the crowd.
“I decided that I was going to rely on the other match’s result. We were not happy about the situation of course. It was not intentional... However, it was a very tough and risky situation,” Nishino told reporters. So risky indeed that had Poland scored another goal, Japan would have been sent tumbling out. The Asian side were especially vulnerable as Nishino had excluded some of the squad’s most creative players, including midfielder Takashi Inui and Makoto Hasebe from the starting line-up. He said his decision to make six changes to his side was down to fatigue rather than any attempt to
Eiji Kawashima of Japan makes a save during the first half of a World Cup Group H match against Poland in Volgograd, Russia, on June 28, 2018. Japan advanced to the round of 16 despite a 1-0 loss to Poland. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo (Photo by Kyodo News via Getty Images)
play for a draw. Nishino, who took over in April after former
coach Vahid Halilhodzic was fired, stressed he wanted his squad to play
a freer, more attacking style in the last 16 against England or Belgium.
Tunisia beat Panama 2-1 as both teams exit world Cup (REUTERS) - TUNISIA secured their first World Cup finals win in 40 years with a 2-1 victory over debutantes, Panama on Thursday, but coach Nabil Maaloul said Arab nations still had a long way to go before they could seriously challenge the top sides. Tunisia trailed 1-0 at halftime in the final Group G match in Saransk despite having the better of play. Fakhreddine Ben Yousseff equalised just after the restart Luis Tejada (18) of Panama struggles with his competitors Yassine Meriah (4) and Ahmed Khalil (15) of Tunisia during the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia Group G with a neatly-taken goal and match between Panama and Tunisia at the Mordovia Arena is Saransk, Russia on Wahbi Khazri scored a second to end Tunisia’s long drought. June, 28, 2018. (Photo by Fatih Aktas/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)
The result brought some vindication for the North Africans, whose coach Nabil Maaloul had admitted before the game that they were demoralised after their defeats by England and Belgium. But it was tough for Panama, making their first appearance in a World Cup finals, and for their fans in the Monrovia Arena, who for a while, could dream of a historic win. “We wanted to snatch this victory, and I wanted to score, and I did. This is a great day for Tunisia,” said man of the match Ben Yousseff.
Tunisia played fluent football but Panama took the lead after a shot by Jose Luis Rodriguez took a deflection off Tunisian defender Yassine Meriah in the 33rd minute for an own goal. Having failed to finish off several chances in the first half, Tunisia took six minutes to assert themselves after the restart. Ben Yousseff picked up a low cross from Khazri to slot the ball home from close range. Khazri added the second in the 66th minute, running unmarked on to a low cross to tap into an open goal.