Japan booked their place in the last 16 of the 2018 FIFA World Cup on Thursday despite a 1-0 defeat against already-eliminated Poland.

The result means the Samurai Blue finish second in Group H and progress to the next round along with Colombia.

Poland striker Robert Lewandowski leaves Russia without a goal at the World Cup and having failed to make any impact on the tournament.

Against Japan, he was starved of service and barely had a sniff for the entire 90 minutes. The one chance he did have he blazed over when well placed on 73 minutes.

Match of the Day highlighted his struggles:

Lewandowski could be on the move this summer, as his agent, Pini Zahavi, said before the World Cup he wants to leave Bayern Munich, per Sport Bild (h/t Mark Lovell at ESPN FC).

Real Madrid have been linked with a move for the striker with Karim Benzema potentially going the other way, per Kicker (h/t Marca).

Chelsea are also interested in the Pole, although they would be unable to offer UEFA Champions League football, per Goal's Nizaar Kinsella.

Lewandowski has been a prolific goalscorer in the Bundesliga for both Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich. However, there has been scrutiny on the striker after he struggled in the Champions League last season for the German giants.

The striker has now followed that up with another poor showing at the World Cup, which will raise questions about his ability in major tournaments. Lewandowski will turn 30 in August, and his chances of a big summer move away from Bayern may have been diminished by his displays in Russia.

Japan Will Struggle in Round of 16

Japan went into the final round of Group H as table leaders but only just scraped their way into the last 16 after the defeat.

Dale Johnson at ESPN FC showed how qualification was determined:

Akira Nishino's side worked hard but lacked invention and an attacking threat against Poland in a display that suggested they will not make it past the last 16.

The team beat Colombia in their opening game, although it's worth remembering that Jose Pekerman's side played the majority of the match with 10 men after Carlos Sanchez was sent off after three minutes.

A 2-2 draw with Senegal followed, in which Japan showed their fighting qualities after twice coming from behind to salvage a point.

Japan will now go on to face either England or Belgium in the knockout stages, but on this evidence, their World Cup hopes may be over after their next match.

Japan opted to keep faith with goalkeeper Eiji Kawashima despite errors in his first two games against Colombia and Senegal.

The Samurai Blue were rewarded for their loyalty as the goalkeeper pulled off the save of the tournament on 32 minutes.

Kamil Grosicki met a cross into the box with a fine header that looked destined for the back of the net until Kawashima managed to claw it to safety. Goal-line technology showed how he had just saved it from crossing the line.

Former goalkeeper David James was impressed with the goalkeeper's heroics:

It was a stunning save from Kawashima and will have boosted his confidence after a tough start to the tournament.

Japan will play either England or Belgium in the last 16 of the competition. The two teams play later on Thursday in a match that will decide which team finishes top in Group G. Poland's next fixture is in September when they face Italy in the UEFA Nations League.</s>Media playback is not supported on this device World Cup 2018: Japan 0-1 Poland highlights

Japan reached the last 16 of the World Cup by having a better disciplinary record than Senegal - after losing to Poland in their final Group H game.

The match finished in farcical fashion, with both sides happy to play the ball around at the back for much of the final quarter.

Akira Nishino's side finished with the same number of points, goals scored and goals conceded as Senegal, but were shown only four yellow cards during the group stage to the African side's six.

"We did not go for victory but we just relied on the other match," said Nishino.

"That was slightly regrettable but I suppose at that point I didn't have any other plans.

"I am really not happy about how we played but we wanted to go through to the round of 16 and we have, and that is the only salvation that I get."

Colombia's 1-0 win over Senegal meant the South American team topped the group ahead of Japan, with those sides facing England and Belgium respectively in the last 16.

Southampton defender Jan Bednarek's well-taken volley following Rafal Kurzawa's free-kick won the match for Poland, who were already eliminated.

Indeed Japan substitute Makoto Hasebe, who came on with eight minutes remaining, made a 'card' gesture to his team-mates to make it clear they were through as it stood.

Nishino said he passed on instructions to the team to take no risks and collect no yellow cards when he sent Hasebe on.

"What if we conceded another goal and it was 2-0?" he said. "We went through. Therefore perhaps it was the right decision."

Media playback is not supported on this device Japan & Poland approach disgraceful - Neville

Japan happy to play out time

This was the possession chart for the last five minutes. Japan had most of the ball, but without wanting to go anywhere near the opposition goal

Japan topped the group going into the final round of games, needing just a point to be assured of a place in the knockout stage for only the third time after 2002, when they were co-hosts, and 2010.

They were heading out when Bednarek scored, and Southampton's Maya Yoshida headed just wide on 72 minutes as they pushed for an equaliser.

But two minutes later they were given a reprieve by Colombia defender Yerry Mina's thumping header in the group's other game.

As the news filtered through to the Volgograd Arena, both teams were content to sit back.

It was a risky strategy for Japan - a second goal for Poland or a Senegal equaliser would have eliminated them - but it ultimately paid off.

'Farcical and embarrassing'

This was Japan's touchmap after hearing Colombia had scored against Senegal (76 minutes onwards)

With their game finishing a couple of minutes before Colombia's victory was confirmed, the Japan players initially waited anxiously around the pitch, before celebrating wildly in front of their supporters.

But there was widespread criticism for the manner in which they had reached the last 16.

"It was a farce, an absolute farce," said BBC co-commentator Mark Lawrenson. "There has to be a better way of settling the table in the World Cup than bookings."

Former Everton midfielder Leon Osman said on BBC Two: "That is embarrassing - the way the two teams went about the final 10 minutes is everything we do not want to see in a World Cup. It turned into a farce."

Northern Ireland manager Michael O'Neill added: "It takes you back to World Cups in 1982 and 1986, when we saw games like that. It is mind-boggling for me as a coach to leave your whole destiny in the hands of another game, and do it for so long.

"I had developed a bit of a soft spot for Japan, but I hope they get battered in the next round."

Media playback is not supported on this device Japan & Poland approach disgraceful - Neville

What you said

Simon: That was one of the most surreal 10 minutes of football I've ever seen... Literally neither team interested in doing anything!

Wayne: Fair play is a really stupid way to decide qualification, must be a better way than this?

David: How about a penalty shootout on the day off? Free entry for fans.

Abdulateef: I see nothing wrong with Japan qualifying on fair play, the rules are there and they are through because of it.

Poland go out on high

How Group H ended

By losing their opening two group games, Poland became the first European side to exit the tournament, and they have now exited at the first hurdle in three successive appearances.

They rarely threatened in their first two matches, with star striker Robert Lewandowski - who scored 16 goals in qualifying - largely isolated.

The Bayern Munich man did have his best chance to score against Japan - but scooped a shot over from 10 yards out.

Winger Kamil Grosicki forced Eiji Kawashima into a smart save with a header, and Tomoaki Mikono almost diverted a cross into his own net late on.

But Bednarek's goal was enough to give the Poles victory, though it was not enough to lift them off the bottom of the group.

Set-piece specialists - the stats

Poland beat Japan for the first time, after losing 5-0 in February 1996 and 2-0 in March 2002.

Japan have failed to score in five of their past six World Cup games against European opponents (W1 D2 L3) - their only goals coming in a 3-1 victory over Denmark in 2010.

Poland have won each of their 14 games in which they have scored first in World Cup finals.

Japan have conceded in four successive World Cup games for the first time since their first four games across 1998 and 2002.

Poland have finished bottom of the group in a World Cup for the first time since 2002.

They have kept a clean sheet at the World Cup for the first time since winning 1-0 against Portugal in 1986.

The Poles won their first ever World Cup game against an Asian opponent after losing 2-0 in the group stages against South Korea in 2002.

Bednarek's goal for Poland was their fifth consecutive goal from a set-piece situation in the World Cup.</s>The group stage of the World Cup is finally over, which means that we can finally stop nervously watching other games while one of them is going on. With Belgium's 1-0 win over England to come out on top of Group G, it's time to talk matchups for the round of 16. And when you look at the bracket, there's one thing that stands out:

A few things stand out, if we're being honest about it, but the biggest thing is this: The left side of that bracket is absolutely stacked. There was talk heading into the final match of group play about whether Belgium and England would even want to win their group when they'd get dropped into a side that includes France, Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay and Portugal. Mexico has also shown flashes of brilliance this Cup, and the bottom line is that it's going to take a lot to get to through that gauntlet.

So what is the optimal bracket for the World Cup Challenge? Visit SportsLine now to see which teams you should be all over in your World Cup brackets, and which upsets are the key to victory, all from the model that's returned an incredible 1800 percent profit on bookmakers' closing odds.

First half of the bracket
• FIFA World Rankings average: 13.8 (five teams in the top 10)



Second half of the bracket
• FIFA World Rankings average: 21.2 (two teams in the top 10) 



The left side -- in the purposes of the bracket image above -- is the side of the powerhouses. There's the classic favorite in Brazil, a Uruguay side that has yet to concede, a French team full of up-and-coming stars and the team with the two best players in the world in Argentina and Portugal. Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo make those teams particularly nerve-wracking to face off against.

Europe and South America are continuing their utter domination at the World Cup. There's never been a World Cup participant that isn't from one of these two continents, and barring an utter miracle from either Mexico or Japan, that doesn't seem likely to change. South America sent four of its five participants past the group stage, whereas Europe sent 10 of its ridiculous 14 through. That only makes it more shocking that Germany wasn't able to make it out.

Compared to the 2014 World Cup, only six UEFA teams made it to the knockout stage. CONMEBOL had five, CONCACAF featured three and CAF featured two African teams.
• France vs. Argentina: 2-0-0 Argentina (2-1 win in 1978 group stage; 1-0 win in 1930 group stage)
• Brazil vs. Mexico: 3-0-1 Brazil (last meeting, 0-0 draw in 2014)



The players to look out for in this match aren't any different than you would expect. Luis Suarez for Uruguay vs. Cristiano Ronaldo for Portugal. Ronaldo is looking to get his team out of the round of 16 for the first time since 2006, when Portugal finished in fourth place, and he's in the Golden Boot race with four goals so far. Edinson Cavani is a dark horse for the Uruguayan squad.

For France, Paul Pogba and Kylian Mbappe must play well against Lionel Messi. Messi netted his first goal of the tournament on a gorgeous touch against Nigeria, and he's looking to build on that success. Pogba has played a few phenomenal balls into Mbappe already, and France has two players more than capable of making a difference against a player with an argument for best in the world.

Philippe Coutinho and Neymar Jr. are one of the deadliest tandems in the Cup, and they're looking at Carlos Vela and Javier "Chicharito" Hernandez. Coutinho has two goals in the group stage, while Neymar has one. Chicharito hasn't had much impact for Mexico in the offensive department so far, but he'll have to step it up to keep up with Brazil's potent offensive arsenal.

Romelo Lukaku is easily Belgium's most prolific scorer, he has four goals thus far, and he's going up against a Japan team that has very quiet talent. Shinji Kagawa is Japan's best player, and he hasn't scored since the sixth minute of the first match against Colombia. So you could say he's "due."

Diego Costa and Denis Cheryshev have both made waves early in this tourney. Each has three goals, and Cheryshev is leading a Russia team that has put up video game numbers to this point.

Luka Modric is playing in one of his last World Cups at 32, but he's making it count in the Croatian midfield. He had a pair of goals in a dominant group stage. Christian Eriksen leads the way for Denmark, and he accounted for one of Denmark's goals in the group stage.

Andreas Granqvist has two goals for Sweden to this point, and he's a huge part of them advancing out of the group stage amid a quiet showing from Emil Forsberg. For Switzerland, Xherdan Shaqiri made his presence felt in the opening round, constantly staying involved in the action.

Golden Boot leader Harry Kane will have to lead for England against Colombia. James Rodriguez is trying to fight off an injury, while Yerry Mina has become an integral part of Colombia's team, scoring two goals to help it advance.</s>Argentina's defender Federico Fazio said Thursday that securing a place in the 2018 FIFA World Cup knockout stage had given the team a boost.

Argentina's 2-1 victory over Nigeria green-lighted La Albiceleste into the World Cup's knockout round, after earning just one point in the first two matches, to accompany Croatia, the Group D winner, into the round of 16.</s>Adidas has revealed the Official Match Ball for the 2018 FIFA World Cup knockout stage in the Telstar Mechta. The name Mechta in Russian translates as ‘ambition’ or ‘dream,’ and features the same design elements and physical features as the Telstar 18, but is adapted to reflect the added intensity and opportunity of the knockout stages.

The Mechta has a bright red and black pixelated graphic detail on the panels and copper accents over a white ball. The updated colors reflect the importance of the matches, as the field of thirty-two has been reduced to sixteen.

A copper adidas logo with matching text that has Mechta in Russian over Official Match Ball in English and a monochrome copper 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia logo are also placed on the ball. The Mechta match balls will make their debut on June 30 for the first of the Round of 16 matches in the knockout phase.

Shop for the Official Match Balls of the 2018 FIFA World Cup at World Soccer Shop.</s>SAN DIEGO -- Former U.S. men’s soccer team captain Landon Donovan joined FOX 5 Sports Director Troy Hirsch Thursday evening to explain what happens during the knockout rounds.

He describes the unbeaten Uruguay team as a "nasty, hard team to play against," and will give Portugal a challenge.

The knockout rounds begin when France take son Argentina Saturday 7 a.m. PST.

Hear what else he expects in the knockout rounds on the international stage this weekend.</s>The two less yellow cards received by the Japanese compared to Senegal was enough to send the Asian side into the round of 16 after both sides finished deadlocked in the final Group H standings.

READ MORE: Japan rely on Fair Play to squeeze through to knockout stages despite Poland loss

Japan, who topped the group before today’s games kicked off, suffered a 1-0 defeat to Poland but relied on the rarely-used rule to break Senegalese hearts after the African side were defeat 1-0 by group winners Colombia in the Samara Arena.

Japan knew that their fair play score in Group H, which stood at -4 (four yellow cards) was better than that of Senegal’s -6 (six yellow cards), was enough to send them through to the knockout phase.

READ MORE: Colombia march into World Cup last 16 as Senegal suffer agonizing exit on yellow card rule

While teams must be separated in some way the manner in which Japan played towards the game’s conclusion drew the ire of the fans in attendance, many of whom took to booing the non-football which was taking place on the pitch - and this reaction has also been echoed online.</s>Japan became the first team to qualify from the World Cup group stages via fair play rankings despite a 1-0 defeat to Poland in which Akira Nishino bizarrely made six changes to an unbeaten team.

The Samurai Blue had beaten Colombia and drawn with Senegal to enter their final Group H match, against already-eliminated Poland, requiring only a point to reach the last 16.

But Japan scarcely threatened as Shinji Kagawa and Takashi Inui started on the bench and they were instead dependent on results elsewhere after Jan Bednarek's fine strike won the game for Poland.

Colombia's Yerry Mina came to Nishino's rescue, though, as his goal defeated Senegal and ensured Japan progressed in second place due to their superior disciplinary record.

Senegal's six yellow cards to Japan's four ultimately cost the African side, who exit Russia in disappointing circumstances.

On this showing, neither England nor Belgium – Japan's potential last-16 opponents – will fear playing Nishino's men, who will be grateful simply to make the knockout stages and may well be unrecognisable after this risky experiment.</s>Japan advanced into the knockout phase of the World Cup on Thursday despite losing 1-0 to Poland, progressing from Group H thanks to their lower tally of yellow cards than Senegal.

The African side were eliminated after their 1-0 defeat by Colombia despite finishing level with Japan on points, goal difference and goals scored.
• Who's in, who's out, and who can still go through​

The Samurai Blue, who had needed only a draw to qualify from Group H, went behind in the 59th minute when Poland's Rafal Kurzawa floated a free kick to the far post and an unmarked Jan Bednarek scored from close range.

Until then, Japan had looked content to contain Poland in stifling heat in Volgograd and they left in-form midfielder Takashi Inui on the bench until they were chasing an equalizer.

Poland's star striker Robert Lewandowski missed a good chance to double the lead in the 74th minute, meaning he failed to score in all three matches he played at the World Cup in Russia.

The game finished in farcical circumstances with both Japan and Poland happy with the result and content to play keep-ball</s>Group H has featured some of the most surprising and exciting football of the 2018 World Cup thus far.

Heading into the final day of the group stage, three teams - Japan, Colombia, and Senegal - are all still in control of their destinies as they battle for two spots up for grabs in the knockout round.

With so much at stake for each team and simultaneous matches of Japan vs. Poland and Colombia vs. Senegal on Thursday, Group H looks set to provide a thrilling finale to the group stage of the tournament.

Here is how each team could advance to the knockout round.
Japan is the only Asian team to advance to the knockout stage, via fair play after exhausting other tiebreakers.