Japan worked hard to tire Colombia out, says Nishino

Japan worked hard to tire Colombia out after they were reduced to 10 men, said coach Akira Nishino following his team’s 2-1 win on Tuesday.

Carlos Sanchez was shown the second-quickest red card in World Cup history when he was dismissed after just two minutes and 56 seconds for a deliberate handball inside the penalty area.

Shinji Kagawa converted from the spot and, after Juan Fernando Quintero equalised with a brilliant free-kick, Yuya Osako’s goal 17 minutes from time secured the victory.

While Sanchez’s early exit may have played a pivotal role, Nishino believes Japan deserve credit for making things difficult for Colombia.

“The numerical advantage is not really an advantage, it’s positioning that matters for pressing. We might have one extra man but we needed to move the ball and deprive the opposition of their stamina,” he told a news conference after the match.

“From the start I thought we could be aggressive and of course we had the advantage of more players. However, I said at half-time that it’s not just the number that matters.

“We did not finish the first half very well. What I said at half-time was keep moving and gain an advantage. We deprived their forwards of their stamina.

“Every single player was very positive, especially in the second half. To be able to celebrate this kind of a victory after an opener is a big advantage. But, of course, the second and the third group matches will also be tough.”

Colombia midfielder James Rodriguez, winner of the Golden Boot in Brazil four years ago, was only fit enough to come off the bench and Nishino was pleased with how his side responded to his introduction.

“We knew James would come onto the pitch but we marked him well,” Nishino added.

“The players were aggressive from the start, I think that worked very well for us.”

Japan tackle Senegal in Ekaterinburg on Sunday, before finishing their Group H fixtures with a clash against Poland.