The team that loses will be knocked out of the tournament
Footage from inside the train shot immediately after it stopped showed smut-stained passengers blinking and coughing as they crawled through thick smoke to the exits, some clutching small children. (Photo: AP)
Natal: Japan and Greece face a high-stakes World Cup shoot-out here on Thursday after opening match defeats which have left their participation in the tournament hanging by a thread.With Japan outmuscled by Ivory Coast 2-1 and Greece thumped 3-0 by Colombia on Saturday, defeat for either side in their Group C collision in Natal could well be terminal.
Whether Japan or Greece are heading for the exit on Thursday night will depend on the outcome of Colombia’s showdown with the Ivory Coast earlier in the day.
But what is not in doubt is that neither Japan nor Greece has much margin for error in Thursday’s 7.00 pm (local time) kickoff at the Estadio das Dunas.Japan’s English-based defender Maya Yoshida believes it will be crucial for the Blue Samurai to score first against the Greeks. “Of course we lost the first match so at the moment we’re very disappointed but we still have two games to go,” said Yoshida.
But Yoshida was adamant the Asian giants had not given up hope of progressing to the knockout rounds for only the third time in their history.
Keisuke Honda, who faded badly in the second half against the Ivorians after firing Japan ahead in the 16th minute, insisted his team mates had picked themselves up after the defeat in Recife.
( Source : AFP )
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