Japan 2-2 Senegal: Stubborn Samurai Blue twice come from behind to earn 1 point

Senegal and Japan missed the chance to take a giant stride towards the World Cup knockout stages after playing out a thrilling 2-2 draw at the Ekaterinburg Arena.

2018 World Cup

2-2

Match Events

12' GOAL! Japan 0-1 Senegal (S. Mané)

Goal!  Japan 0, Senegal 1. Sadio Mané (Senegal) left footed shot from very close range to the bottom left corner.

22' Sarr's shot saved by Kawashima!

34' GOAL! Japan 1-1 Senegal (Inui)

Goal!  Japan 1, Senegal 1. Takashi Inui (Japan) right footed shot from the left side of the box to the bottom right corner. Assisted by Yuto Nagatomo.

39' CHANCE! Niang's shot denied!

49' Osako's header saved!

60' Osako misses a golden chance!

64' POST! Inui inches away from brace!

71' GOAL! Japan 1-2 Senegal (Wagué)

Goal!  Japan 1, Senegal 2. Moussa Wagué (Senegal) right footed shot from a difficult angle on the right to the high centre of the goal. Assisted by M'Baye Niang.

78' GOAL! Japan 2-2 Senegal (Honda)

Goal!  Japan 2, Senegal 2. Keisuke Honda (Japan) left footed shot from the centre of the box to the bottom right corner. Assisted by Takashi Inui.

In a game of goalkeeping errors, Senegal took an early lead when Eiji Kawashima turned Youssouf Sabaly's shot into the body of Sadio Mane for a goal he knew little about after 11 minutes.

Senegal had the better of the first half, and Japan offered little until Takashi Inui's curler beat Khadim Ndiaye 34 minutes in.

The Asian side would go onto enjoy their best spell of the game just after half-time, but it was cut short when Moussa Wague fired high into the net from a tight angle from Sabaly's low cross.

Honda, Japan's record World Cup goalscorer, would have the final word, though, by netting from close range after goalkeeper Ndiaye had missed a cross completely, for his fourth goal in a World Cup finals.

11' GOAL! Japan 0-1 Senegal (S. Mané)

Line-ups

Japan XI: Makoto Hasebe, Takashi Inui, Eiji Kawashima, Maya Yoshida, Shinji Kagawa, Yuto Nagatomo, Yuya Osako, Genki Haraguchi, Hiroki Sakai, Gaku Shibasaki, Gen Shoji

Subs: Tomoaki Makino, Shinji Okazaki, Keisuke Honda, Masaaki Higashiguchi, Gotoku Sakai, Takashi Usami, Hotaru Yamaguchi, Wataru Endo, Yoshinori Muto, Ryota Oshima, Kosuke Nakamura, Naomichi Ueda

Senegal XI: Alfred N'Diaye, Idrissa Gueye, Khadim N'Diaye, Kalidou Koulibaly, M'Baye Niang, Salif Sané, Youssouf Sabaly, Sadio Mané, Badou Ndiaye, Moussa Wagué, Ismaila Sarr

Subs: Moussa Sow, Mame Biram Diouf, Lamine Gassama, Cheikhou Kouyaté, Diafra Sakho, Abdoulaye Diallo, Kara, Cheikh N'Doye, Alfred Gomis, Moussa Konaté, Adama Mbengue, Keita