FIFA World Cup 2018: Japan vs Senegal - As it happened

Mane and Moussa Wague scored for Senegal while Takashi Inui and Keisuke Honda equalised twice for Japan. Japan and Senegal lead the Group H points table with four points each.

Courtesy: Reuters

Moscow:  An entertaining match between Japan and Senegal ends in a 2-2 draw at the  Ekaterinburg Arena Stadium. Mane and Moussa Wague scored for Senegal while Takashi Inui and Keisuke Honda equalised twice for Japan. Both teams looked good in the final third and deserved a point. Japan and Senegal lead the Group H points table with four points each. 

Follow the live match updates:

Japan 2-2 Senegal!

FULL-TIME!

90+4 minute: Yellow card! Japan's Hasebe gets booked. 

90+2 minute: Free-kick to Senegal. But Japanese defence hold on.  

4 minutes of Stoppage time!

90 minute: Yellow card! Senegal's Youssouf Sabaly gets a yellow card. 

87 minute: Substitution for Japan. Usami replaces Inui. 

86 minute: Both Senegal and Japan are pushing hard to pull off a win here. It has been an entertaining 

81 minute: Substitution for Senegal. N'Doye in for Badou N'Diaye

10 minutes to go!

Japan 2-2 Senegal!

78 minute: GOAL!! Keisuke Honda levels it for Japan. What a cracker of a match this is turning out to be!

74 minute: Corner for Japan. Yuya Osako fires the ball from close range but his shot is blocked by the defence. That was close! 

Senegal 2-1 Japan!

71 minute: GOAL!! Senegal's Moussa Wague scores a stunner from the right to take Senegal 2-1 up against Japan. 

68 minute: Yellow card. Japan's Inui gets booked for a foul on Ismaila Sarr. Inui takes one for the team.  

65 minute:  Substitution for Senegal. Kouyat in for N'Diaye. 

63 minute: Japan beginning to open the Senegal defence but Yuya Osako delivers a poor cross. 

61 minute: MISS!! Japan's Yuya Osako misses a golden opportunity. It looked like a clear goal but Osaka failed to find a touch. 

59 minute: Yellow card! M’Baye Niang gets a yellow card for a bad challenge. 

57 minute: Japan's Makoto Hasebe goes down after he gets hit on the face. Players take a breather. 

Possession 

Japan- 56 percent

Senegal- 44 percent

50 minute:  Japan's Yuya Osako heads the directs the ball into the hands of the Senegal goalkeeper. That was close! Japan look good on the counter. 

48 minute: Corner for Senegal. The defender clears the ball to safety. 

Second-half is underway. 

Japan 1-1 Senegal!

Half-time! 

1 minute Stoppage time!

43 minute: Corner for Senegal. Japan's defender clears the ball. Senegal are threatening to take the lead. 

39 minute: Senegal's M’Baye Niang races into the Japan box, but the goalkeeper charges out to clear the ball. That was close!

36 minute: Japan are pressing hard after the equaliser. Senegal look under-pressure. 

Japan 1-1 Senegal!

34 minute: GOAL!!!  What a finish. Takashi Inui curls a rocket into the bottom right corner. Japan equalise. 

31 minute: Japan try and create space but are giving away possession up-front. 

Possession

Japan- 54 percent 

Senegal- 46 percent 

25 minute: Gaku Shibasaki brings down a Senegal player. Free-kick to Senegal. 

21 minute: Corner for Japan. Poor pass as Senegal intercept. Senegal intercept. 

19 minute: Free-kick to Japan. Gaku Shibasaki whips the ball in but the Senegal wall clears the ball to safety. 

17 minute: Japan are pushing hard but lack inspiration in the final-third. They have not troubled the Senegal defenders yet. 

Senegal 1-0 Japan!

11 minute:  GOAL!!!  Japan goalkeeper tries to knuckle the ball away but hits it directly at Senegal's Sadio Mane who nets a lucky goal. 

7 minute: Free-kick to Japan. 

5 minute: Senegal's Youssouf Sabaly attempts a shot from distance but skies the ball. 

4 minute: Japan's Gen Shoji clears the ball away. Corner for Senegal. 

3 minute: Corner for Senegal. The ball goes past the Japan penalty box. 

No Asian team has ever won two consecutive opening matches at a World Cup. 

Kick-off

Lineups:

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

Senegal XI: Khadim N’Diaye; Moussa Wague, Kalidou Koulibaly, Salif Sane, Youssouf Sabaly; Idrissa Gueye; Ismaila Sarr, Alfred N’Diaye, Badou Ndiaye, Sadio Mane; M’Baye Niang.

Japan on Tuesday became the first ever Asian nation to beat South American opposition at a World Cup when they pipped Colombia 2-1. The Asian giants' win against Colombia was one of the biggest surprise of the ongoing mega event and the Akira Nishino-coached side will be eager to dish out yet another spirited show.

Senegal too came out with an impressive all-round show against Poland, beating them 2-1. The Africans will be looking to continue the momentum from that unexpected victory into their next game. Most of the Senegal players feature in different Europen clubs and with plenty of experience, they could make life tough for Japan.

Japan full squad:

Goalkeepers: Eiji Kawashima (Metz/FRA), Masaaki Higashiguchi (Gamba Osaka), Kosuke Nakamura (Kashiwa Reysol)

Defenders: Yuto Nagatomo (Galatasaray/TUR), Tomoaki Makino (Urawa Reds), Wataru Endo (Urawa Reds), Maya Yoshida (Southampton/ENG), Hiroki Sakai (Marseille/FRA), Gotoku Sakai (Hamburg/GER), Gen Shoji (Kashima Antlers), Naomichi Ueda (Kashima Antlers)

Midfielders: Makoto Hasebe (Eintracht Frankfurt/GER), Keisuke Honda (Pachuca/MEX), Takashi Inui (Eibar/ESP), Shinji Kagawa (Borussia Dortmund/GER), Hotaru Yamaguchi (Cerezo Osaka), Genki Haraguchi (Fortuna Dusseldorf/GER), Takashi Usami (Fortuna Dusseldorf), Gaku Shibasaki (Getafe/ESP), Ryota Oshima (Kawasaki Frontale)

Forwards: Shinji Okazaki (Leicester City/ENG), Yuya Osako (Werder Bremen/GER), Yoshinori Muto (Mainz/GER)

Senegal full squad:

Goalkeepers: Abdoulaye Diallo (Rennes/FRA), Alfred Gomis (SPAL/ITA), Khadim Ndiaye (Horoya/GUI)

Defenders: Saliou Ciss (Valenciennes/FRA), Lamine Gassama (Antalyaspor/TUR), Kalidou Koulibaly (Napoli/ITA), Kara Mbodj (Anderlecht/BEL), Youssouf Sabaly (Bordeaux/FRA), Salif Sane (Hanover/GER), Moussa Wague (Eupen/BEL)

Midfielders: Idrissa Gueye (Everton/ENG), Cheikhou Kouyate (West Ham Utd/ENG, capt), Pape Alioune Ndiaye (Stoke City/ENG), Alfred Ndiaye (Wolverhampton Wanderers/ENG), Cheikh Ndoye (Birmingham City/ENG), Ismaila Sarr (Rennes/FRA)

Forwards: Mame Biram Diouf (Stoke/ENG), Balde Keita (Monaco/FRA), Moussa Konate (Amiens/FRA), Sadio Mane (Liverpool/ENG), Mbaye Niang (Torino/ITA), Diafra Sakho (Rennes/FRA), Moussa Sow (Bursaspor/TUR)