Columbia, at least, had the excuse of having to play with 10 men for the vast majority of the match, after Carlos Sanchez collected the first red card in the tournament, and the second fastest in World Cup history, as he was sent off after just three minutes for deliberate hand ball.
But with their figurehead and star of the 2014 World Cup James Rodriguez, only fit enough to start from the bench, they struggled to cope with the Japanese pace, and despite equalising shortly before half-time through a clever Juan Quintero free-kick, they fell behind again to a Yuya Osaka header and could find no way back.
Poland, ranked 8th in the world going into the competition, also struggled against their African opponents, although they were unlucky to fall behind when Thiago Cionek deflected a shot into his own net. The second goal though was entirely of Poland’s own making, as a terrible back pass into no-man’s land, gave M’Baye Niang the chance to beat the goalkeeper to the ball and roll it into an empty net.
They pulled a goal back through the head of Grzegorz Krychowiak, but were well beaten on the day.
Now both sides have to try and get a result on Sunday, and, to do that, they need to get their star players to perform. Poland are heavily dependent on captain and star striker Robert Lewandowski, but the Bayern Munich forward was forced to live on scraps during the Senegal game, so they must find a way to get the ball to him quickly and in space.
For Columbia, a lot will depend on whether Rodriguez, who came on a substitute against Japan, is fit enough to start against Poland. They also will look to Radamel Falcao, the Monaco forward, who was forced to miss the 2014 tournament through injury, to be less of a peripheral figure than he was during Monday’s match.
With a draw not certain of guaranteeing either side a place in the knock-out phase, both teams will have to go for it, which should make for a good match.