MX23RW : Thursday, April 25 01:51:45| >> :600:3027722:3027722:
[monks data]
Attendance: 39,485
Japan national football team
World Cup | Group Stage
Jun 19, 2014 at 11pm UK
 
Greece national football team

0-0

FT

Player Ratings: Japan 0-0 Greece

Sports Mole rates every player's performance from the goalless draw between Japan and Greece in their World Cup clash.

Japan and Greece played out a 0-0 draw in their World Cup Group C clash in Natal on Thursday.

Neither side was able to break the deadlock in the 90 minutes, despite Greece being reduced to 10 men when Kostas Katsouranis was sent off in the 40th minute, as the teams posted their first point each of the tournament.

Here, Sports Mole rates each player on their contribution to the match.


Japan lineup before their game with Greece on June 19, 2014© Getty Images

JAPAN

Goal

Eiji Kawashima: The keeper was solid throughout in the 90 minutes as he bounced back from his error against the Ivory Coast. He made one great save to deny Theofanis Gekas as he got down low to his right to palm the ball away in the second half. Communication and handling were strong. (7/10)

Defence

Atsuto Uchida: The Schalke defender had a decent outing in Natal. He was better in the final third of the Greece half than his own as he occasionally struggled against Jose Holebas as he raided forward. The 26-year-old put the ball on a plate for Yoshito Okubo to score, but his teammate missed a glorious chance. (6/10)

Maya Yoshida: Had a quiet game as he wasn't called upon that often as his side dominated possession. Was strong in the air and distribution was solid as he always seemed to find a blue shirt. (6/10)

Yasuyuki Konno: Defended well in the first half and make a couple of crucial interventions. Struggled in the air against Samaras late in the game, but other than that like Yoshida he was quite comfortable. (6/10)

Yuto Nagatomo: Raided forward extremely well as he always seemed to find space to attack on the left-hand side. Defensively he wasn't called upon and was allowed a free role to raid forward. Could have found the net late in the game, but he miscued his shot. His final ball lacked quality for the majority of the game. (6/10)

Midfield

Hotaru Yamaguchi: More productive than his first game of the tournament, but still lacked quality throughout the 90 minutes. Distribution was solid, but lacked penetration to help in the final third of the pitch. (6/10)

Makoto Hasebe: Still not 100% fit after recovering from an injury before the tournament. Received a booking for a challenge on Samaras, but also drew the foul that saw Katsouranis sent off. (6/10)

Keisuke Honda: Wasn't at his best as he struggled to find crucial pass in the final third. Was still heavily involved in everything his side did going forward, but couldn't find bit of magic to unlock the Greece defence. (6/10)

Attack

Yoshito Okubo: Missed a glorious chance to fire his side in front after latching on to Uchida's pass at the back post. Showed a few good touches in and around the box, but was largely nullified as the game progressed. (5/10)

Yuya Osako: Was his side's best player in the first half as he showed intent with his direct running and movement in front of goal. Unlucky not to hit the target with good effort from 20 yards, which went just past the post. Replaced in the second despite strong showing. (7/10)

Shinji Okazaki: Showed a few good runs in the first half, but the game passed him by in the second half as he failed to have any effect in the final third. (5/10)

Substitutes

Yasuhito Endo: Was busy when he came on and moved the ball around a lot in the Greece half. Used the ball well and didn't give possession away, and saw his free kick well saved by Orestis Karnezis. Not clinical enough in the final third like many of his teammates. (6/10)

Shinji Kagawa: Displayed his ability after being dropped from the starting lineup with one defence-splitting pass to play Uchida in, but Okubo missed the chance. Showed some neat touches in the final third, but most of it was just ineffective possession football, which didn't trouble the Greece backline. (6/10)


Greece lineup before their game with Japan on June 19, 2014© Getty Images

GREECE

Goal

Orestis Karnezis: The keeper had a strong showing as he made several good stops, most of which were from distance but still required saving. Was always in command of his area and his handling was spot on. (7/10)

Defence

Vasilis Torosidis: Had a couple of decent chances as he raided forward from the back late in the first half. Saw one effort saved and glanced the other wide of the post. His role changed in the second half as he stayed back to help his side hold out for the point. (7/10)

Kostas Manolas: Was a strong presence throughout the game as time and again he disrupted Japan's attacks. Always seemed to be in the right place to make the intervention and was also strong in the air. (8/10)

Sokratis Papastathopoulos: Like Manolas he had a strong game at the back. He was commanding in the air and although he nearly made an error that cost his side late on, his performance merited the miss from Japan. (7/10)

Jose Holebas: Struggled defensively at times as he had a tendency to raid forward and neglect his duties at the back. Put in a few decent crosses as he pushed forward and had a late attempt that was well saved by Kawashima. (6/10)

Midfield

Giannis Maniatis: Improved showing from his display in his side's first game. Used the ball well and was disciplined in his approach in the middle to help protect his back four, to ensure they weren't overwhelmed. (6/10)

Giannis Fetfatzidis: Didn't make much of an impact in his 40 minutes on the field. Was sacrificed to help reshape the midfield following Katsouranis's dismissal as he was replaced by Karagounis. (6/10)

Kostas Katsouranis: Was sent off for two bookable offences, earning the second yellow card for a poor challenge on Hasebe. On another day he could have cost his side and will be relieved to see them earn a point. (4/10)

Panagiotis Kone: A bright display from the Bologna man building on his performance from the first game when he was his side's best player. Used the ball intelligently and saw an effort well saved by Kawashima in the first half, was disciplined in his role following Katsouranis's sending-off. (7/10)

Attack

Kostas Mitroglou: His poor 2014 continued as he was forced off in the first half with an injury following a clash with Yoshida. Didn't make much of an impact in his time on the pitch. (5/10)

Georgios Samaras: Wasn't allowed to push forward on the left side following the sending-off of Katsouranis, but showed willingness to help the team at the back and remained rigid and disciplined in his position. Couldn't find the target with late header. (6/10)

Substitutes

Theofanis Gekas: Put in a better performance than his first display of the tournament after replacing Mitroglou. Could have found the net with well-placed header in the second half only to be denied by Kawashima. Led the line well to give his side breathing room in the second half. (6/10)

Giorgos Karagounis: Used the ball well and showed guile to help his side ease the pressure on themselves. Provided a good defensive shield for his back four as Japan tried to up the ante in the second half. (6/10)

Dimitris Salpingidis: Replaced Kone late in the game and didn't have time to make an impact on the pitch. (6/10)


ID:160864: cacheID:160864:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:10495:No Data Analysis info
Restore Data
Share this article now:
 Giorgos Karagounis of Greece challenges Shinji Kagawa of Japan during the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil Group C match between Japan and Greece at Estadio das Dunas on June 19, 2014
Read Next:
Match Analysis: Japan 0-0 Greece
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
10am
Blanch
Nadal
10am
Cachin
Ofner
10am
Elahi Galan
Bautista-Agut
10am
Gasquet
Sonego
10am
Hanfmann
Mensik
10am
Koepfer
Carballes Baena
10am
Kovacevic
Medjedovic
10am
Lajovic
Monteiro
10am
Machac
Ruusuvuori
10am
Michelsen
Fonseca
10am
Nishioka
Auger-Aliassime
10am
O'Connell
Arnaldi
10am
Purcell
Giron
10am
Ramos-Vinolas
Kotov
10am
Tabilo
Cobolli
10am
Zhizhen
Kecmanovic
10am
Azarenka
Maria
10am
Eala
Cirstea
10am
Annie Fernandez
Potapova
10am
Gauff
Rus
10am
Keys
Camelia-Begu
10am
Podoroska
Navarro
10am
Karolina Schmiedlova
Jabeur
10am
Swiatek
Wang
10am
Baez
Van Assche
10am
Coric
Zverev
10am
Martin Etcheverry
Shapovalov
10am
Humbert
Van De Zandschulp
10am
Hurkacz
Draper
10am
Marozsan
Cerundolo
10am
Paul
Klein
10am
Rublev
Bagnis
10am
Altmaier
Fils
10am
Darderi
Fritz
10am
Griekspoor
Daniel
10am
Munar
Struff
10am
Musetti
Seyboth Wild
10am
Navone
Rune
10am
Shevchenko
Alcaraz
10am
Alexandrova
Krueger
10am
Andreeva
Noskova
10am
Bejlek
Kalinskaya
10am
Boulter
Montgomery
10am
Bronzetti
Rybakina
10am
Collins
Danilovic
3pm
Cristian
Krejcikova
10am
Dolehide
Kalinina
10am
Garcia
Wang
10am
Linette
Sabalenka
10am
Pavlyuchenkova
Saville
10am
Sorribes Tormo
Svitolina
10am
Vekic
Sakkari
11.30am
Arango
Yastremska
11.30am
Osaka
Samsonova
11.30am
Ostapenko
Bouzas Maneiro
1pm
Haddad Maia
Errani
2.30pm
Lourdes Carle
Kudermetova
2.30pm
Mertens
Stephens
Tables header RHS

Group A

TeamPWDLPTS
Q Netherlands Netherlands32107
Q Senegal flag Senegal32016
3 Ecuador flag Ecuador31114
4 Qatar Qatar30030

Group B

TeamPWDLPTS
Q England flag England32107
Q United States USA31205
3 Iran Iran31023
4 Wales flag Wales30121

Group C

TeamPWDLPTS
Q Argentina Argentina32016
Q Poland Poland31114
3 Mexico Mexico31114
4 Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia31023

Group D

TeamPWDLPTS
Q France France32016
Q Australia Australia32016
3 Tunisia Tunisia31114
4 Denmark Denmark30121

Group E

TeamPWDLPTS
Q Japan Japan32016
Q Spain Spain31114
3 Germany Germany31114
4 Costa Rica flag Costa Rica31023

Group F

TeamPWDLPTS
Q Morocco Morocco32107
Q Croatia Croatia31205
3 Belgium Belgium31114
4 Canada Canada30030

Group G

TeamPWDLPTS
Q Brazil Brazil32016
Q Switzerland Switzerland32016
3 Cameroon flag Cameroon31114
4 Serbia Serbia30121

Group H

TeamPWDLPTS
Q Portugal Portugal32016
Q Republic of Korea South Korea31114
3 Uruguay flag Uruguay31114
4 Ghana flag Ghana31023


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!