FIFA World Cup 2018 day six: Japan, Senegal, Russia win three points

June 20, 2018 Yesterday, day six of the 2018 FIFA footall World Cup, Japan defeated Colombia 2–1, Poland lost 1–2 against Senegal, and hosts Russia won 3–1 against Egypt.

Group H &mdash; Colombia 1–2 Japan
Colombia faced Japan in the first match of Group H at the in. Japan had greater ball possession in the match. In the 3rd minute of the match, was sent off after he received a red card for a handball in the penalty area. Referee awarded Japan a penalty kick and  scored from the penalty kick, giving Japan an early lead. In the 39th minute, Colombia won a free kick and scored the free kick, equalising for Colombia. The first half ended with 1–1 on the scoreboard.

Colombian goalkeeper saved an attempt by  in the 57th minute. Japan had multiple attempts on goal, and in the 73rd minute, scored a close-range header from 's assist, putting Japan in the lead. In the 78th minute, 's attempt to equalise for Colombia was blocked. Osako's goal turned out to be the match-winning goal for Japan as the final time score was 2–1.

This victory meant Japan became the first Asian country to defeat a South American nation at the FIFA World Cup. After the match, Japan's coach said, "Our players were aggressive from the start and that worked very well for us. This is just one win and three points, so we will save our celebration." Yuya Osako was named Budweiser Man of the Match.

Group H &mdash; Poland 1–2 Senegal
Poland faced Senegal at the in Moscow for the second group H match. Poland had higher ball possession in the match. In the 12th minute, Poland's Grzegorz Krychowiak was shown a yellow card for a bad foul. In the 36th minute, Jakub Błaszczykowski was injured, causing a delay in the match. A minute later, ended up scoring an, giving Senegal a 1–0 lead. 's attempt in the 42nd minute to double the lead from a header missed. The first half ended with 1–0 on the scoreboard.

At the beginning of the second half, Błaszczykowski was substituted off for due to injury. In the 49th minute, Salif Sané was shown a yellow card for a bad foul as Polish captain Robert Lewandowski won a free kick. At the one-hour mark, doubled the lead for Senegal, scoring a goal from a poor back pass by Krychowiak. Arkadiusz Milik missed a close-range shot in the 70th minute. Krychowiak scored a goal from a header in the 86th minute as Poland trailed 1–2. The match ended, with Senegal winning three points in Moscow.

With this victory, Senegal became the first African country to win a match at this year's World Cup. M'Baye Niang won the Budweiser Man of the Match award. After the match, Senegal's manager said, "We managed to control the game tactically and emotionally. This victory means we enter the competition in the best possible way, but we know it will be a difficult match against Japan [...] I guarantee the whole of Africa is supporting us. I get phone calls from everywhere. We are proud to represent Africa."

Group A &mdash; Russia 3–1 Egypt
In the last match of the day, hosts Russia faced Egypt at Saint Petersburg. Both sides had almost equal ball possession. Russia started the game with attacking style, with, , and Denis Cheryshev attempting goals in the first fifteen minutes. Despite both teams' attempts, the first half remained goalless.

Two minutes into the second half, Russia got the lead as scored an own goal. Russia doubled the lead just before the one-hour mark, as Denis Cheryshev scored his third goal of the tournament. Three minutes later, scored from 's assist giving the hosts a 3–0 lead. Egypt won a penalty kick in the 72nd minute, as brought down Mohamed Salah at the edge of the penalty area. Salah scored from the penalty kick, scoring the first goal for Egypt at the FIFA World Cup since 1990. and attempted the goal in the last few minutes of the match. The match ended with Russia winning 3–1 over Egypt.

Russia has now scored eight goals in two matches, winning both. After the match Russia's coach said, "It is not an accident that we have two wins under our belt. We have a group of solidarity. We need to rest well and see who is ready to do what and prepare ourselves well for the next game."

Group H standings as of June 19

Group A standings as of June 19, 2018