Japan draw with 10-man Greece

Japan coach Alberto Zaccheroni bemoaned his side’s failure to punish 10-man Greece after a 0-0 draw at Natal, Brazil on Thursday which leaves the Asian giants struggling to reach World Cup knockout rounds. Japan looked to have been given a crucial advantage when Greek captain Konstantinos Katsouranis was dismissed on 38 minutes for a second bookable offence. But although Japan dominated possession thereafter, they were unable to find a way through a stubborn Greek rearguard action and now have it all to do if they are to emerge from Group C. Japan’s draw means Colombia are guaranteed a top two finish in the group, but Zaccheroni’s men will now have to beat the in-form South Americans to have any chance of joining them in the last 16. Japan winger Shinji Kagawa's terrible year continued as after a miserable season with Manchester United Japan coach Zaccheroni dropped him to the bench after a poor showing against Ivory Coast. Japan controlled affairs in the first-half thanks to the surging runs of left-back Yuto Nagatomo and the tight, short passing of a potent midfield being marshalled superbly by Keisuke Honda. Greece's chances of taking something from the game lessened dramatically during a disastrous five minutes in the first-half. First leading striker Kostas Mitroglou's injury nightmare, which saw him barely play a game for Fulham after a multi-million pound move in January, continued as he hobbled off in the 35th minute. Three minutes later he was followed by his Katsouranis, though for a less commendable reason as he was sent for an early shower after being booked for a second time in the game. Greece coach Fernando Santos reacted to Katsouranis's red card by turning to the experience of substitute Georgios Karagounis, Greece's most capped player of all time, and sacrificing Genoa midfielder Ioannis Fetfatzidis. Greece, though, have shown that they are never more dangerous than when their backs are against the wall and soon after they produced their best chance of the half, Vasilios Torosidis stinging the palms of Eiji Kawashima with a fierce drive from the right of the area, according to AFP.