Japan Goes Through for Less Foul at World Cup

On the last day of group stage games of the Russia World Cup in Group H on Thursday, Columbia beat Senegal 1-0 by Yerry Mina’s header which took the South Americans to the next round while in the same group Japan advanced to the Round of 16 despite loss to Poland. In Group G, Belgium defeated England 1-0 and advanced to the next round as first team while England went through as second; also Tunisia beat Panama 2-1 in a game for honor.

Colombia’s Yerry Mina thumped home a second-half header to secure a dramatic 1-0 victory over Senegal that catapulted the South Americans into the World Cup last 16 and dumped their African opponents out of tournament, Reuters reported.

Senegal had only needed one point in their final Group H game to reach the next round, but it should head home after missing out on the runner-spot to Japan because of just having 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, which lost to Poland 1-0 on Thursday, finished the group with four points and an identical record in all other respects (goal difference, scored goals, goals conceded and head-to-head game result). Yet the Asian side ended in second position having picked up four yellow cards to Senegal’s six.

Japan lost to Poland but survived to become the only Asian side to qualify for last 16 of the World Cup in Russia.

Colombia, top of the standings with six points, faces a last-16 match against Group G runner-up England on Tuesday.

Defeat for Senegal eliminated the team at the group stage in their first World Cup appearance since 2002, and left Africa without a representative in the knockout stage for the first time in 36 years.

  Belgium Tops Group G

It had been viewed as the game no-one wanted to win but Adnan Januzaj’s fine finish early in the second half gave Belgium a 1-0 victory over England to secure the Group G top spot in a contest between two sets of reserves.

The result means Belgium, which won all three of its group games to finish on nine points, will face Japan in the last 16.

According to the draw, Belgium could face Brazil in the quarterfinals, and Argentina, Portugal or France in the semis

England’s opponents are, on paper at least, easier - Sweden or Switzerland await in the last eight - and they face less traveling should they progress.

Tunisia secured its first World Cup finals win in 40 years with a 2-1 victory over debutantes Panama. Tunisia trailed 1-0 at halftime in the final Group G match in Saransk despite having the better of play. Fakhreddine Ben Yousseff equalized just after the restart with a neatly-taken goal and Wahbi Khazri scored a second to end Tunisia’s long drought.