Asian champs Japan fail to bridge World Cup gap

Alberto Zaccheroni instilled flair, creativity and goals in his four years in charge of Japan but he could not find a cure for the mental flaws that prevented his side showcasing those talents on the grandest stage. The Asian champions slumped meekly out of the 2014 World Cup at the group stage on Tuesday after a winless showing from a pool they had more than enough skill and talent to escape from. Striker Yoshito Okubo said they were guilty of panicking in the opening Group C loss to Ivory Coast, fullback Yuto Nagatomo believed they ‘self destructed’ in the goalless stalemate with 10-man Greece, while Colombia proved just a gulf in class too far. The dismal showing in Brazil fell way short of the Italian coach’s plans to take Japan to the quarter-finals for the first time, while Nagatomo and playmaker Keisuke Honda even spoke openly about winning the whole thing. Jackson Martinez scored twice as Colombia beat the Japanese 4-1 in Cuiaba, Brazil, on Tuesday to end their World Cup Group C campaign with a perfect three wins and boot the Asian side out of the tournament. History was made when Faryd Mondragon beat Cameroon’s Roger Milla’s record as the oldest player at a World Cup. The goalkeeper came on as a substitute for the last 6 minutes at the age of 43 years and three days. Colombia took the lead against the run of play when Adrian Ramos was upended by Yasuyuki Konna as he burst into the penalty area, earning the defender a booking. Man-of-the-match Martinez’s 2 second-half goals broke Japanese hearts after the Blue Samurai had equalised on the stroke of half-time to keep their hopes alive. The hugely impressive James Rodriguez, who came on as a 2nd-half substitute, set up both of Martinez’s goals and scored the fourth himself. Colombia finished well clear at the top of Group C ahead of Greece, who broke Ivory Coast hearts with a last minute penalty to seal a 2-1 win and take the 2nd place off the African side, report agencies.