Osaka (Japan), March 28: Colombian striker Rafael Borre came up with a stunning acrobatic overhead strike to lead his side to a come from behind 2-1 win over Japan in a friendly game in Osaka on Tuesday.
Japan got into an early lead through Brighton winger Kaoru Mitoma in the third-minute of the game with a towering header but Aston Villa teenager Jhon Duran made it 1-1 for Colombia inside the first half.
But the goal of the day came just over the 60-minute mark when Eintracht Frankfurt striker Borre scored the winner with an acrobatic strike, launching himself into a right-footed scorcher that went past Japan goalkeeper Daniel Schmidt.
Colombia went into the game on the back of a 2-2 draw with South Korea in Seoul last week, while Japan drew 1-1 with Uruguay in Tokyo.
Mitoma has been in scintillating form since joining Brighton last summer and he gave Japan the perfect start when he rose to thump Hidemasa Morita’s cross past Colombia goalkeeper Camilo Vargas.
Colombia saw little of the ball in the first half but they equalised in the 33rd minute when Deiver Machado raided down the left before cutting the ball back for Duran to sweep home.
Japan’s Takuma Nishimura, who scored against Uruguay on Friday, fired a shot just wide as the home side attempted to strike back before half-time.
Colombia showed more attacking intent after the break and Jorge Carrascal almost scored with a deflected shot that looped up and over the crossbar.
Borre showed him how it was done just minutes later, and Colombia held on to their lead when Vargas kept out Japan striker Ayase Ueda’s header with a point-blank save.
Vecino winner hands South Korea first loss under new coach Klinsmann
Matias Vecino scored the second half winner to give Uruguay a 2-1 win over South Korea in a football friendly in Seoul on Tuesday.
South Korea’s new boss Juergen Klinsmann also tasted his first defeat in his second game at the helm.
Klinsmann, who was appointed last month to replace Paulo Bento, has not won in either of his first two games in charge, having seen his side draw 2-2 with Colombia on Friday.
Defender Sebastian Coates gave the Uruguayans the lead in the 10th minute when he rose above the Korean defence to head in Federico Valverde’s corner.
But Hwang In-beom levelled six minutes after the interval when, with the Uruguayan defence in disarray, Lee Ki-je cut the ball back for the midfielder to slot in.
Vecino restored his side’s lead in the 63rd minute when he pounced on a loose ball in the six-yard box after Jo Hyeon-woo had parried Joaquin Piquerez’s free kick from outside the area.
The Koreans thought they had equalised again when Kim Young-gwon rose above goalkeeper Santiago Mele to head in with 15 minutes remaining, only for referee Yusuke Araki to judge the defender had handled the ball after a lengthy VAR check.
Celtic striker Oh Hyeon-gyu then fell victim to a marginal offside call when he thought he had levelled seven minutes from time as the Uruguayans clung on.
(ToI With AFP inputs)
