FIFA World Cup 2014: Group A, Matchday 3

Spain meet Japan in Sao Paulo today with qualification for the Second Round sealed, with Japan looking for the point they need to join them. Should they slip up then Colombia have to beat Algeria and turn around a three-goal swing to set-up a last sixteen tie against Group B winners Uruguay.

Odds: Algeria 6-4F v. Colombia 13-8 (Draw 2-1)
Odds: Spain 4-7F v. Japan 4-1 (Draw 5-2)

Timeline:

• 02′ SPA 0-1 JAP: Blistering start in Sao Paulo as Tadanari Lee looks to upset the holders with a goal inside two minutes. Ibusuki has a shot from just inside the box that Casillas pushes wide. Kagawa keeps it in, pulls it back to Lee who is eight yards out and can’t miss.

• 09′ SPA 0-1 JAP: Trouble for Spain as they’ll have to play out the next 82 minutes with only ten men. Jordi Alba flies into a strong, two-footed challenge on Kiyotake in front of the benches. No hesitation for the Italian referee who produces a straight red card.

• HT: Colombia 0-0 Algeria, Spain 0-1 Japan. JAP and SPA qualifying.

• 75′ SPA 0-1 JAP: Michihiro Yasuda has pulled-up chasing a Spanish ball over the top. Looks like his groin has gone. Goalscorer Tadanari Lee also looks like he’s in some discomfort.

• 82′ COL 1-0 ALG: Colombia are relying on Spain to score twice, as well as pulling off a 2-0 win themselves. Falcao has scored his 30th goal for his country with a delightful diving header twelve yards out. Armero with a great cross into the box that Falcao guides past  M’Bolhi.

• 90′ COL 2-0 ALG: Mostefa has bundled Gutiérrez over in the box, and Falcao steps up and smashes a perfect penalty into the top corner to seal the win, just as the clock ticks past the ninety minute mark.

Japan will play the runners-up in Group B, likely South Korea
Spain will likely play Uruguay in the Second Round on 28 June.

Algeria 1-2 Japan GROUP A (Match #20)

Japan picked up all three points from their Group A match tonight, but may rue conceding a stoppage time goal that may have major ramifications come the final round of group matches next Tuesday. They’ll certainly regret the loss of their captain, CSKA midfielder Keisuke Honda, who was stretchered off in the final five minutes with an ankle injury and will miss the rest of the tournament.

On to the positive then, and Shinji Okazaki lashed Japan in front after eight minutes when he picked up the ball 30 yards out, burst into the box and smashed it past M’Bolhi. He was only denied a second when his header from a Kiyotake corner hit the inside of the post before being cleared.

Hiroshi Kiyotake provided the assist for the second, ten minutes after half-time, when he curled a free-kick towards the far post from wide on the right that Hiroshi Ibusuki beat the ‘keeper to in the six-yard box for two-nil.

With time running out and Japan happily running down the clock with ten men after Honda’s injury, they conceded a needless throw on their left hand side, level with the penalty area. Algeria took it quickly and Foued Kadir whipped a cross into the six-yard box.

Hiroki Sakai clearly tripped Algerian striker Rafik Djebbour in the box, but the referee delayed his whistle brilliantly for Djamel Abdoun to stoop and nod the loose ball past Kawashima for his first international goal.

Japan play Spain on Tuesday, with eliminated Algeria taking on Colombia. An unlikely point for Japan will see them safely through to the last sixteen, but defeat means that a comfortable Colombian victory would see them leapfrogged.

                  FIFA WORLD CUP BRAZIL 2014
                       MATCH 20: GROUP A

                      ALGERIA 1-2 JAPAN
                    Abdoun 90     Okazaki 9
                                  Ibusuki 56

                           Fortaleza

GROUP A         P  W  D  L  F  A  GD  PTS
1. Spain        2  2  0  0  6  1  +5   6   Q
2. Japan        2  1  1  0  3  2  +1   4
3. Colombia     2  0  1  1  2  3  -1   1  
4. Algeria      2  0  0  2  1  6  -5   0   x

Colombia 1-2 Spain GROUP A (Match #16)

The world champions are the first side through to the Second Round after their seventh consecutive Finals win, and second here in Brazil this summer. Goals from Jesús Navas and Fernando Llorente sandwiched a Falcao equaliser, and sees Spain sit top of the group ahead of tomorrow’s match between Algeria and Japan.

Fernando Llorente had an effort disallowed inside the opening five minutes after he led with an arm on Colombian ‘keeper David Ospina as he headed into the goal.

The South American side gave as good as they got for the next half-hour but were finally broken down when they committed too many men forwards at an attacking free-kick that the wall cleared, sending Jesús Navas away to bring the ball over halfway. He played a neat one-two with Cazorla before running the ball into the box and poking past Ospina from close range at a narrow angle.

Colombia were level seventy seconds after the break, with great work from Pablo Armero down the left to get a cross in at the second attempt, that was powered home by the head of Radamel Falcao at the near post, giving Ilker Casillas no chance of making a save.

As we entered the final quarter of an hour, a Colombian move came to nothing in the Spanish final third and the holders again burst forwards on a counter attack through Navas. The ball eventually went out to the left for Muniain whose cross into the box was headed home by Fernando Llorente for his 18th international goal.

Spain’s final group game is on Tuesday against Japan. Jordi Alba and Javi Martinez are on yellow cards.

                  FIFA WORLD CUP BRAZIL 2014
                       MATCH 16: GROUP A
                    
                     COLOMBIA 1-2 SPAIN
                    Falcao 47     Navas 34
                                  Llorente 76

                             Natal

GROUP A      P  W  D  L  F  A  GD  PTS
1. Spain     2  2  0  0  6  1  +5   6   Q
2. Japan     1  0  1  0  1  1  +0   1
3. Colombia  2  0  1  1  2  3  -1   1  
4. Algeria   1  0  0  1  0  4  -4   0

Japan 1-1 Colombia GROUP A (Match #2)

Great news for the holders Spain as Japan and Colombia shared the points this evening in their opening Group A match in Manaus.

James Rodríguez put Colombia in front after twenty minutes when Iván Vélez was played clear down the right flank from a quick free-kick, eventually sending a cross in to the six-yard box for the Porto man to nod past Kawashima.

The Asian Cup holders drew level ten minutes after the interval when Japan cleared a Colombian corner and broke quickly through man-of-the-match Shinji Okazaki. His cross towards the penalty spot was flicked on by Kiyotake, allowing a narrowly-onside Hiroshi Ibusuki to stab home from close range to equalise.

Both sides picked up a pair of late bookings, but neither was able to score a third goal in the match. See the goals, line-ups, match stats and highlights video below.

                  FIFA WORLD CUP BRAZIL 2014
                       MATCH 02: GROUP A 

                        JAPAN 1-1 COLOMBIA
                   Ibusuki 55     Rodríguez 21

                             Manaus

GROUP A      P  W  D  L  F  A  GD  PTS
1. Spain     1  1  0  0  4  0  +4   3
2. Colombia  1  0  1  0  1  1  +0   1 
=. Japan     1  0  1  0  1  1  +0   1 
4. Algeria   1  0  0  1  0  4  -4   0

Spain 4-0 Algeria GROUP A (Match #1)

Spain won the opening match of Brazil 2014 in their defence of the FIFA World Cup, brushing aside an Algerian team twenty-four places below them in the world rankings.

Jordi Alba scored a first-half brace, sandwiching a strike from Andrés Iniesta, that sent the holders in at the break with a three-nil lead. Moments after the restart, Santi Cazorla added a fourth goal to get the favourites off to dominant start.

The opening goal came in the twelfth minute when Algeria failed to deal with a long throw into the box, which they let bounce just outside the six-yard box, with Alba turning to poke home at the near post. A little over five minutes later and the Algerians came undone again, at their own throw-in.

Alba intercepted a poor delivery, heading through to Cazorla who laid off for an unmarked Iniesta to drill home from the edge of the box. Alba grabbed a third just before half-time with a driving run into the box, turning his marker then slotting low towards the far corner.

Just after the interval, Cazorla scored the fourth and final goal when Alba’s free-kick into the box wasn’t cleared and the Arsenal man drilled a shot home from 15 yards out. See the goals, line-ups, match stats and highlights video below.

                  FIFA WORLD CUP BRAZIL 2014
                       MATCH 01: GROUP A 

                        SPAIN 4-0 ALGERIA
                  Alba 12, 43
                   Iniesta 18
                   Cazorla 48

                         Rio de Janeiro

GROUP A      P  W  D  L  F  A  GD  Pts
1. Spain     1  1  0  0  4  0  +4   3
2. Colombia  0  0  0  0  0  0  +0   0
=. Japan     0  0  0  0  0  0  +0   0
4. Algeria   1  0  0  1  0  4  -4   0