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Japan took the field early this morning to face Afghanistan in a World Cup Qualifier. The Japanese National Team continued to stay in top form with a 5-0 victory.
Borussia Dortmund midfielder Shinji Kagawa came on as a substitute in the 64th minute to replace Yosuke Kashiwagi.
All Goals & Highlights World Cup - AFC Qualification - group E "Japan 5-0 Afghanistan": https://t.co/mM3GTgbaly via @YouTube
— Muhammad Azhar (@azzainura) March 24, 2016
Kagawa's addition led to two more goals from the home side, who dominated Afghanistan from start to finish in Saitama, Japan. The fifth goal came off a cross from Kiyotake which bounced around the penalty area before finding Mu Kanazaki who finished off the Afghans.
Currently atop Group E in AFC World Cup Qualifying with 19 points and a 6W-1D-0L record, Japan will take on second-place Syria, looking to preserve a clean sheet for the entirety of the Group Stage. Japan currently has outscored its opponents 22-0, including a 3-0 victory over Syria in October.
Later in the day, Greece played host to Montenegro in an international friendly at Georgios Karaiskakis Stadium in Piraeus. Dortmund defender Sokratis started and played a full 90 minutes for Greece. He was voted Man of the Match by fans and users of the OneFootball app for his defensive efforts in a 2-1 victory over Montenegro..
Although he didn't show up on the scoresheet, Sokratis was instrumental in shutting down Montenegro's stingy forwards. Not only did Sokratis make it difficult for the opposing offense to get going, he also stepped in front of a few attempts towards goal to block shots.
Colombia faced Bolivia in CONMEBOL World Cup Qualifying, winning via a stoppage time strike by a score of 3-2. Adrian Ramos was an unused substitute for the game, passed up as a starter by Carlos Bacca. Luis Muriel was brought on to replace Bacca, chosen ahead of not only Ramos but Victor Ibarbo as well.
Ramos and his Colombian team sit in sixth place in CONMEBOL World Cup Qualifying and face table-toppers Ecuador on Tuesday in a crucial tie.