Well played, Japan. Nice one.

Day 15 WorldCup2018

The first round of what has been an absolutely excitingly wonderful World Cup came to a somewhat limp end today, two weeks of the best football witnessed at a major tournament tarnished by the antics of Japan playing for the safety of a 1-0 defeat.

The timing of the matches prevented me from watching much today. I did see Colombia take the lead against Senegal, shortly before Poland did the same against Japan. At that moment Colombia were top of the group with Japan second by virtue of them having received less yellow cards than Senegal.

As I watched Senegal desperately try to get an equalizer, I read the updates on the BBC from the Japan match. In the last 10 minutes there was nothing more than a description of the Japanese players passing the ball around to each other in their own half. The BBC reporter alternated between making fun and being disgusted. So when that match finished and there were still 2 minutes to go for Senegal, I hoped, prayed, wished that the Colombians would get wind of it and let Senegal score. Why? Just to stick it to the Japanese for being so negative and being as terrible, and as anti-football as Germany and Austria in 1982. And what the hell were Poland doing? What was in it for them to not try scoring a second goal which would have also knocked out Japan? They were out anyway, and was defending a 1-0 lead over Japan really going to make anybody happy?

Now for the sake of proving I am not biased against Japan, but only disgusted by the way they destroyed the good feeling of this World Cup (even more than the France-Denmark snooze fest) I do appreciate that any collusion between Senegal and Colombia would have been equally despicable. And I can also confidently say, now that I am on the attack, what was all the fuss about Senegal? Really. I kept hearing about how fun they were to watch. Really? What kind of fun? I watched them play two and a half times and each time they were boring. Dull. And they never smiled, even when they scored. There was no flair, very little speed. I truly believe that there was a perception of fun, maybe because of their cool looking coach. They and Iceland were the hipster team. But someone please explain the "fun to watch" to me. And, you know, I have watched a lot of football. Senegal in 2002 were fun. They were reckless and unpredictable and they made it to the quarterfinals. Argentina are fun to watch because you know you're going to get passion. Switzerland are fun because they have taken good organization to a whole new level. Colombia, Belgium, Mexico. They are fun. Not Senegal. And definitely not Japan today.

I didn't watch Japan-Poland today so I can only comment on the description of what happened. So I'll quote people, in the know, who did watch it.

Leon Osman, former Everton player: "That was embarrassing the way the teams went about that final 10 minutes. It was everything we don't want to see in the World Cup. It turned into a farce."

Michael O'Neill. Northern Ireland manager: "I developed a soft spot for Japan, but I hope they get battered in the next round."

BBC commentator and former Liverpool player, Mark Lawrenson: [After a Japanese player did a stepover with no Polish player near him] "We shouldn't laugh but it's become an absolute farce. The ref is waving, what's he waving at? He can't make them play."

Former England captain, Terry Butcher: "It's been a marvellous World Cup. It's just been a bit tainted by Poland and Japan doing that."

BBC commentator Conor McNamara: "They've gone through on fair play. But can you call that fair play? Is that the spirit of the competition?"

The last one is my favourite. Japan have made a mockery of the concept that they were rewarded for that allows them to still be in Russia.

Cue all the counter arguments of they did what they had to do. "They're still in, aren't they?" I don't have time for that today. After all the fun I poked at some of the not so exciting football in Brazil four years ago, I have had 14 days of describing the best feeling I have had watching football day after day for a long, long time. So excuse me for having no sympathy or admiration for Japan doing "what they had to do."

England lost, but I don't care. The next match counts not today's meaningless one, played by players who weren't part of England's previous two exciting wins.