Japan made hard work of a match in which it held all the cards but was saved by a late Yuya Osako winner which earned it a 2-1 win in its World Cup opener against a 10-man Colombia on Tuesday.
The win at Mordovia Arena in Saransk was the first for an Asian team over a South American opponent at a World Cup and was Japan's first at the tournament since it beat Denmark in the final group game of the 2010 edition.
Shinji Kagawa scored his 31st goal for the national team and first at a World Cup after Japan was handed a one-man advantage and a penalty in the third minute.