Episode 7 - It's really just an upset for people who should know better

There's a concept called roaming goalie when playing small sided games. The idea is that being goalkeeper is boring and if you're playing 3 or 4 a side then relegating such a large part of your team to the crappy job that being goalkeeper is is really rather mean. The way around this is to say any of the players who happen to be in the goal area can be the goalie. Obviously you can only have one nominated and often you have nobody because you're too busy making the other team decide who should nominate.

I say all this by way of suggesting that the Colombian player Moreno maybe never got told that once you have 11 players and one of them is dressed up like a clown except instead of giant clown shoes he has giant clown gloves that roaming goalie doesn't apply. Otherwise what could have possessed him to stick out an arm to stop Japan's goal bound shot in the 3rd minute of play? Even Suarez had the decency to wait until the last minutes before taking such drastic action. Still. Japan duly scored the penalty and with a 10v11 scenario for the remaining 80-odd minutes you would have thought Japan would close it out fairly routinely.

Still, you have to admit that Colombia, who went to the quarter finals last time around, are a decent side. If a much changed one. So somehow Japan managed to make it look like it was still an 11v11 game as Colombia searched for the redemption goal. Then closing in on half time a questionable free kick "earned" by Colombia resulted in a goalbound shot by Quintero. Here's where a good video research team pays off. Japan, as a team, are not very tall. In free kick situations that can be somewhat mitigated by members of the wall jumping at the crucial moment. Of course if the other team knows that that's what you're going to do you can take advantage by ensuring you keep your free kick along the ground and use angles that the goalkeeper thought he had covered.

Quintero shot low, under the jumping wall and despite the protestations of keeper Kawashima it crossed the line before he got to it. 1-1.

Japan made a better fist of things in the second half and although it was a long time coming they eventually scored, from a headed corner of all things, to ensure that all those who thought that a South American side will always beat an Asian side came away upset.

In the final game before we go into the second phase where teams play for the second time it was Poland and Senegal facing off. As the European side the pundits were heavily favouring a Polish win and with a player like Robert Lewandowski who scores goals at a prodigious rate. There are other players whose names are even harder to spell who strengthen Poland's case for the win.

Alas the title of this post gives away the ultimate result but Poland can take heart that their players scored more goals than the Senegalese. It was a tight game and there was a lot of skill on display... just not where the goalscoring was concerned.

Senegal's first goal was a very ambitious long shot from Gueye which was deflected twice before coming to rest in the Polish goal. It just goes to show that sometimes having a go pays off.

Senegal, for their part, succeeded where the Saudis and Nigerians had failed in taking advantage of their green camouflage outfits. Pretty much on the hour a moment of confusion between Polish defender and goalkeeper, roughly 15 kilometres from goal, was made so much more painful when seemingly out of nowhere Niang sprang up between them, got a foot to the ball and took it to goal unopposed to extend the lead to 2-0.

Krychowiak made the scoreline a little more respectable when he headed a beautifully placed free kick from quite far out across goal and beyond the reach of the keeper. The free kick itself was questionable but the goal from it was beautiful if, ultimately, pointless.

Group H, the last of the groups, is one of only 2 groups among those of this world cup that does not include 2 European sides. The other is Russia's group A. It was Russia who faced Egypt for the first of the next round of games. Russia as unexpectedly handsome winners of the first match (though not handsome players) were in the box seat to be the first team to guarantee a spot in the next round and thereby extinguish the hopes of the Egyptians.

Before the goals came the match was open and though littered with mistakes it did make you think that either team would eventually take advantage. It was Russia who finally came away with the opening goal when a hopeful second phase long shot with very little going for it was catastrophically turned into his own net by Fathi. After that the Egyptians lost a bit of belief and buoyed by their home crowd Russia started to believe and put in 2 more goals in quick succession.

Later Egypt pulled a goal back after one of their players was pulled back. Initially the referee signalled for a free kick outside the box but the VAR upgraded it to a penalty that Mohammed Salah dispatched but nothing more would come and Egypt now face a dead rubber against Saudi Arabia. On the evidence here they should be coming away with a win there.