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A poor 90 minutes ends with Japan drawing with Greece nil all. Japan had an extra man advantage but they could not make it count in the second half.
Colombia are now through to the Round of 16. It is hard to see Japan pushing the Colombians, meaning their World Cup is practically over.
The Greeks are playing far too defensive. Ivory Coast should beat them well and qualify second in the group.
FINAL SCORE:
Japan 0
Greece 0
Greece and Japan clash in a match where the loser will surely be eliminated from the 2014 FIFA World Cup. Join The Roar for live scores and commentary from 8.00am (AEST).
After opening the scoring against the Ivory Coast, Japan eventually fell 2-1 to their more illustrious African rivals and now need a win against the Greeks to keep their World Cup hopes alive.
The Greeks meanwhile have a mountain to climb following a convincing 3 nil defeat to Colombia. Greece had their chances to score but were well outplayed by the Colombians.
In terms of flair and creativity, the Japanese are comfortably the better side in this regard. They really troubled the Ivory Coast in their first half and could have easily been two goals up.
Keisuke Honda was the star for Japan in the opening game scoring a cracking goal with his left foot against the Ivory Coast.
Manchester United star Shinji Kagawa however had a quite game against the Ivory Coast and will need to be more involved if Japan hope to trouble the Greek defence.
Greece meanwhile need strong performances from Samaras and Gekas upfront. Gekas in particular should have scored against Colombia but his second half header in front of goal crashed against the bar.
Samaras can also cause trouble on his day and needs to fire against a suspect Japanese defence.
With both teams desperate for a win, today’s contest promises to be a tight affair. Both teams may opt not to take too many risks today as they seek to keep their World Cup campaigns alive.
With Greece possessing a -3 differential however, they will have to attack at some point and it is here where the likes of Honda and Kagawa could prove decisive on the counter attack for Japan.
Japan to win 2-1