FINAL - Japan 0, Greece 0: 10-man Greece suppress Japanese attack and earn important 1st point

The Greeks will take loads of pride from their defensive efforts, while down a man, in the second half as they frustrated a relentless Japanese attack and will be pleased to come away with one point after a 0-0 draw at the Estadio das Dunas in Natal on Thursday night.

The Japanese didn't appear to exploit its one-man advantage until late in the game when they pressured the Greek defence with a flurry of chances on goal, but failed to find a finishing touch.

Just about every tactic the Japanese attack attempted to execute was thwarted by a Greek team who looked inspired to avoid a loss following the red card shown to midfielder Kostas Katsouranis in the first half.

The first half provided very little in the way of chances as Japan's best effort on goal came 20 minutes into the match when forward Yuya Osako's shot curled just wide of the goal. Japan enjoyed the majority of possession early on and showed more creativity in their attacking efforts.

Greece looked as though its chances of advancing past the group stage were finished after Katsouranis' tackle was deemed a foul and was subsequently shown a second yellow card from match referee Joel Aguilar five minutes before half-time.

After being left off the starting Xl, Japan coach Alberto Zaccheroni brought midfielder Shinji Kagawa into the game just over 10 minutes into the second half to provide another attacking option. In the end, he and midfielder Keisuke Honda disappointingly failed to make a significant impact on the match.

One of the few chances for Japan in the dying minutes of the match came when Yasuhito Endo's curling free kick, aimed towards the far post, forced Orestis Karnezis to make a great diving save.

Japan, predictably, enjoyed the battle for possession, but their inability to create chances and register quality shots on net will leave the team disappointed in their efforts to exploit the disadvantaged Greeks. The Greeks, however, let out a sigh of relief when the final whistle sounded and maintain a slim chance of making it through the group.

Japan face a tough test in their final match when they play group-leaders Colombia on June 24, while the Greeks will need three points against Ivory Coast on the same day.