Japan vs. Colombia, 2014 World Cup: Live coverage and score updates

Japan were dealt an early blow when Juan Cuadrado’s penalty put them in a deficit, but Shinji Okazaki equalized at the stroke of halftime to give them hope. Unfortunately for the Samurai Blue, Jackson Martinez’s second-half brace and a brilliant goal from James Rodriguez condemned them to an early exit in a hugely disappointing overall performance.

Colombia’s rotated squad gave their manager some changes to mull over. Martinez certainly looked a more effective option up front than Victor Ibarbo, but the real star was Rodriguez, who gave a dazzling second-half display to tear apart Japan.

That’s a pretty amazing header.

Match Date/Time: Tuesday, June 24, 4 p.m. ET

Venue: Arena Pantanal, Cuiabá

After Japan ceded the lead against Ivory Coast to lose 2-1 in their World Cup opener, coach Zaccheroni made a few changes to their starting lineup with little reward. For this match, Manchester United’s Shinji Kagawa will likely return to his position on the left of their attacking midfield band ahead of Yoshito Ōkubo, who didn’t impress in the goalless draw with Greece. Other than that, we’re unlikely to see big changes.

The wide battle - Both of these sides rely on their fullbacks to provide width going forward, with Japan in particular often playing with Yuto Nagatomo and Atsuto Uchida high in the opposition half to compensate for their lack of pace and directness in their attacking midfielders. Colombia are pretty similar, but they’re better placed to take advantage of Japan’s defensive holes than the Samurai Blue are of theirs. The key could well be Juan Cuadrado, a natural winger who has been outstanding out on the right so far this tournament. If he can be found in space behind Nagatomo on the counter-attack, he’ll do damage.