Soccer: Japan reach last 16 on fair play points, will meet Belgium

VOLGOGRAD, Russia (Kyodo) - Japan brought the secondary passage into the World Cup round of 16 on Thursday, losing 1-0 to Poland yet advancing because of a Colombia prevail upon Senegal and the FIFA reasonable play focuses framework supporting the Samurai Blue.

Akira Nishino's group completed second in Group H and will confront Group G victors Belgium in the primary knockout round.

The result spared Japan's head mentor from in any event a few inquiries regarding his hazardous choice to begin the diversion with a group demonstrating six changes to the one that performed well in a gutsy 2-2 attract with Senegal Ekaterinburg, leaving every one of the four of his Russia 2018 goalscorers on the seat.

Colombia beat Senegal 1-0 on account of a second-half objective by protector Yerry Mina and the South Americans completed best of Group H to set up a conflict with Group G sprinters up England.

Talking before the last Group G amusements later on Thursday, Nishino stated, "They (England and Belgium) are both world-class groups so it is an awesome test for us to confront them, and we need to do great investigation and set up our group and our methodologies."

Senegal and Japan both completed on four focuses having been given their first annihilations of the competition Thursday, and with a similar objective contrast and number of objectives scored.

Be that as it may, because of the West Africans' poorer disciplinary record - they completed with six yellow cards to Japan's four - they will go home.

The outcome implies Japan achieve the knockout stage for the third time in their six World Cups however Nishino needed to confront some troublesome inquiries concerning his choices for the match at a sweltering Volgograd Arena.

After much hypothesis about his place in the group, Japan goalkeeper Eiji Kawashima demonstrated his value in stupendous form in the main half, simply keeping out a free header from Kamil Grosicki.

After the break Kawashima, who made exorbitant mistakes that prompted Japan surrendering in their initial two recreations, was compelled to dash from his line to jump on a through-ball as Robert Lewandowski came at pace.

At that point came the objective all of Japan was fearing. Rafal Kurzawa swung a free kick to the back post where Jan Bednarek volleyed Poland ahead with a little more than 30 minutes remaining.

As news sifted through that Colombia had scored in Samara the two groups shut everything down and the amusement came to a standstill, much to the irritation of the larger part Russian group.

"The way in which the group qualified was not the underlying objective," said Nishino. "I am not excessively upbeat about this, but rather I constrained my players to do what I said. It's the World Cup, and in some cases these things can't be stayed away from."

"There was booing in the stadium and I am certain that the players heard that and I feel that was lamentable."

Having effectively met all requirements for the round of 16, Belgium and England used their squad players in their last Group G experience. The Belgians rolled out nine improvements from their past match while the English exchanged eight players.

Adnan Januzaj nestled into victor six minutes after the restart, sparing Belgium from completing second behind England on reasonable play focuses.

Belgium mentor Roberto Martinez anticipated the match with Japan, saying, "We are a more grounded assemble than we were before the amusement. We're confronting Japan, we must be prepared for it."

In the other Group G coordinate, Tunisia completed with a 2-1 prevail upon Panama to guarantee third place, leaving the Central Americans base without any focuses and a less nine objective contrast.

This was not the Germany we are used to, I feel completely empty

Requires a noteworthy update of the national amusement in the wake of mortifying World Cup exit go too far. What is more essential is to allow to capable youthful players, for example, Leroy Sané.

rmans are accustomed to seeing our national group lose – it has occurred previously and will happen again – yet what we are not used to is seeing them leave a World Cup at the gathering stages, and particularly in the way that has occurred at this competition. It is a major shock, a colossal frustration, and it has abandoned me and a significant number of my countrymen feeling totally unfilled.

After the sensational triumph over Sweden on Saturday I anticipated that would see an alternate Germany against South Korea, one re-empowered and prepared to anchor the triumph expected to achieve the last 16. Rather the players performed with no assurance to win. There was negligible hazard in their approach and insignificant protection from the assaults South Korea propelled against them. This was not the Germany we have been utilized to for a long time now.

What turned out badly? It's difficult to pinpoint one reason yet progressively carelessness has all the earmarks of being an issue. Germany performed inadequately in their last two diversions previously the beginning of the competition, against Austria and Saudi Arabia, and, considering it, it has been an issue for any longer than that. Germany didn't play well in their 0-0 attract with England November, nor in the consequent diversions against France, Spain and Brazil. In any case, no one extremely stressed in light of the fact that Joachim Löw was in control and Germany dependably do well under Löw at significant competitions. In any case, that has not ended up being the situation in Russia.

As of now there have been requires a noteworthy update of German football. For me that is very radical. Indeed, questions must be asked by the German Football Federation with respect to how such a great gathering of players could perform so seriously, yet the reality they are superb players is the reason there doesn't should be freeze. Germany's ability pool is expansive and the errand presently is bringing through the phenomenal youthful players we have while supplanting the more seasoned ones who have achieved the finish of the street.

I'm mindful there has been a considerable measure of speak in England about Leroy Sané's avoidance from the squad following his incredible season with Manchester City and, for me, he is a player who ought to be reintroduced quickly. He is precisely the bore of player Germany needs, somebody who is youthful and has crude, perilous pace.

Among the more seasoned players who just did not perform at this World Cup is Thomas Müller. He was poor all the way and necessities to raise his level.

At that point there is the administrator. There will be calls for him to be sacked yet for me the choice in regards to regardless of whether Löw proceeds in his part is down to Löw; on the off chance that he has the inspiration to proceed with then he should, on the off chance that he doesn't then he should proceed onward and maybe hope to oversee at club level. By and by I feel he has what it takes to supervise Germany's post-World Cup change given his record, ability and attention to what is occurring in world football. What's without a doubt is that the German FA won't sack Löw having given him another agreement only before the World Cup. They trust him completely.

In that sense, the spotlight will mostly fall on the players, who won every one of the 10 amusements in meeting all requirements for the World Cup at the same time, once there, neglected to perform to an adequate level. It is generally known they have not made the most of their base in Moscow and there has been theory of enormous fractures in the squad. I can't affirm or deny that yet, what's without a doubt, is that something has not been appropriate with the gathering since they arrived in Russia, and to be sure in the amusements that went before their contribution in the competition. Simply, they have not been dependent upon it for quite a while and accordingly the need to choose whose time is up and who, from the up and coming age of German players, merits their opportunity to advance up.

It will be a weird couple of days in Germany as we become accustomed to this circumstance – the national group leaving a World Cup at the gathering stages. A few people who just watch the competition to take after Germany will no uncertainty turn off and get on with different things, however such is the notoriety and significance of football here that most will stay with it until the end. From an unbiased's perspective it is likewise energizing that there will be another best on the planet.

For those of us taking a shot at World Cup scope, tomorrow is one more day; more amusements to watch and dissect. In any event a few Germans are still piece of this competition.

The Lone Archer and the Mighty Barbarian

This is a story about an attack on one of the villages in the world of Clash of Clans. The attacker who called himself Kingdom of the Blades viciously raided Lord Pavillion's village. The Kingdom of the Blades brought its mightiest army: golems, wizards, wall breakers, pekkas. Their heroes, the Barbarian King and the Archer Queen, trotted along as the army marched towards its latest victim.


Lord Pavillion's village looked deliciously abundant, with storages teeming of gold bars and elixirs. It looked like a feast to the bloodthirsty Blade soldiers. The Commander deployed a hog rider to lure the defender's clan castle, but nothing came out of it. The Commander smirked of the easy victory yet to come.


He released the golems to soak in all the damage the defenses will exude, followed by wizards clearing the path for the heroes. The wall breakers came in next breaking the high level walls of Lord Pavillion's village, and so the golems are free to target defenses within their range. The pekkas were deployed heading straight ahead with no surrounding buildings to distract them, and the Barbarian King and Archer Queen came in last. With the King protecting the Queen as she destroys buildings and defenses on her wake.


The Commander could smell victory. The smoke of the explosion and the image of the fallen defenses are proof. Although the tricky bit is in the middle, where the traps and bombs are hidden to protect the town hall. The x-bows on both sides of the town hall did their job, shooting and killing the wizards and golems. Those pesky hidden teslas taking the life out of the raging pekkas. But the raid was still successful, the army can be retrained, and heroes resurrected, but the gold and elixirs are bountiful and they have taken almost all of the resources, enough to rebuild the empire. To make it stronger, unconquerable.


The town hall was still standing, protected by two layers of walls that even the Archer Queen's arrows cannot reach. The Commander activated the Barbarian King and Archer Queen's ability. The King restored half of its health and summoned its minions and rage increasing his damage, breaking through the first layer of wall and soon destroying one x-bow. The Queen restored a quarter of her life, summoned some archers and used her invisibility cloak, making her invisible to the defenses. The x-bow on its side targeted the King, which made his health drain in 3 second tops. But his life has been taken out by a giant bomb cleverly laid on its path, with only his mini barbarians left to battle.


While that was happening, the Queen inflicted damage to the one x-bow left until her invisibility was gone and the x-bow started aiming for her again. And her health is too low; six blows and she was out. However, she had five summoned archers remaining, struggling to take out the x-bow while they die one by one. As only one archer left, her last shot took out the x-bow but the x-bow shot for one last time, which took the archer's final breath.


However, the Kingdom of the Blades still had one remaining soldier left, a barbarian summoned by the King. The attacker has two minutes and 12 seconds left to take down the town hall, and it all depended on this one tiny barbarian, slashing his sword to the wall attempting to break it.


And then it happened; a lone archer came out of Lord Pavillion's clan castle. It can't be. When the hog rider was deployed, this one archer should have came out, but it didn't. And now it is ruining the Commander's chance of wrecking that town hall into dust. This is a bug, Commander muttered angrily. He knows too well the archer can shoot over the walls and kill his one last troop.


"Why come out now?" The last barbarian asked the archer.


"Because I was scared. I was the only one here in the clan castle, and there's a whole army coming to cause havoc on our village. How am I meant to defend it?"


The barbarian thought he heard a sob being choked. It disgusted him, to think that this archer calls herself a soldier but fears to face death all on her own. An abomination to their blood and legacy. But at the same time, he feels his heart go out for her. She's only a low level archer, untrained and alone in that dark clan castle waiting for her doom.


"Are you the only one left?" The archer asks.


The barbarian nods, but realizes that the archer can't see him because of the walls between them. "Yes, But we have got what we came for. This mission is a success. Although a broken town hall could have increased the experience of our empire."


"It's almost time."


"It is," the barbarian answered. And then he heard it, the sound of a wall being shot by an arrow. The archer was shooting the walls down! "What are you doing?" he shouted over the sound.


"I am helping you. Take down the town hall, gain victory. This is what this is all about," she answered, between gasps of air as she continued to aim for the walls. "Our village can be redeemed. We will earn glory when it's time. But that time is not now."


The barbarian didn't waste any second. He slashed through the wall, along with the shots of the archer until it came tumbling down. As the smoke and dust evaporated, the last barbarian was greeted by a lovely face: the archer's face. And she was smiling.


"Go on. Destroy the town hall. Ally troops can't attack their own buildings, so you're on your own now."


"But this is treachery to your Commander!" The barbarian answered. She could be sentenced to death, or worse imprisoned in the Void, in the nothingness, where you become nothing as well.


"Hurry! You're running out of time!" She just commanded.


So the barbarian nodded his head and muttered, "Thank you." He started running to the town hall, and started hitting it with all his might. I am a mighty barbarian, the last of my kind in this mission. I am mighty, he thought to himself. But he was so busy thinking, and slicing with his sword that he didn't notice two bombs on both his sides, ready to explode at any second.


He looked at the archer with dreading eyes. And she laughed a maniacal laugh as the barbarian burst into nothingness right in front of her eyes.

[SPOILERS ALERT!!]


This Korean drama had me on an unexpected roller coaster ride and my emotions were everywhere. It is about a captain of the special forces, Captain Yoo Shi Jin (Song Joong Ki), along with his sergeant, Major Seo Dae Young (Jin Goo) who tangles themselves up into trouble during their vacation. Dae Young's phone is stolen by a thief whom they help send to the hospital after being injured. When they try to retrieve Dae Young's phone, they met Doctor Kang Mo Yeon (Song Hye Kyo) who thinks they are gang members trying to harm the thief which is now her patient. Shi Jin who is enthralled by Mo Yeon's inability to believe him that he is a soldier and not a criminal gangster, falls in love with her immediately and asks the army doctor, Yoon Myeong Joo (Kim Ji Won), for help to prove this to Mo Yeon.

Yoo Shi Jin and Kang Mo Yeon starts to date but Shi Jin is always called in between dates to special missions. Due to the differences and demands of their jobs, their dates don't end well. In the middle of a date, Shi Jin is called for another mission, and when he left, Mo yeon received a call informing her she wasn't promoted to a professor to favour a colleague with a more privileged background.

When they meet again, Shi Jin and Mo Yeon talks about their views and principles in life and realise how different they are, and how conflicting their jobs are. Shi Jin, a soldier who would kill people to protect his nation, and Mo Yeon, a doctor who tries to save all lives. So they part ways because of this.

Eight months later, Mo Yeon is promoted to a professor, wherein which she got sexual advances from the hospital chairman which she aggressively declines. This causes her to be sent to Uruk as the team leader of a medical team. And there, Shi Jin and Mo Yeon's story begins again.

In the first few episodes, there are scenes that are catching and sending butterflies in your stomach and scenes that are amusing and funny. But the rest are dragging. The flow of the story in the first few episodes are quite sluggish and I didn't see where the store was going. But that is a good thing, because you don't know where next scene will go so there will be surprises.

But when Mo Yeon is sent to Uruk, and all the characters are in place, the plot begins to unfold and it will be good. Humor is still in the show, but it doesn't fail to show other aspects of emotions as well: loss, heartbreak, redemption, regret, acceptance.

DOTS' story line is consist of several disasters from earthquake, virus outbreak, to a black ops mission. From this, the characters have developed in progression which move the pieces more and more into place. At the start, the different jobs of Kang Mo Yeon and Yoo Shi Jin caused them to realise how big their differences are, but when the earthquake happened both of them slowly understood each other's principle when it comes to saving lives.

The Romeo and Juliet-like story of Seo Dae Young and Yoon Myeong Joo is a treat as well. Myeong Joo's father wants Yoo Shi Jin as his son-in-law but Myeong Joo only wants Dae Young. The process of Dae Young running away from Myeong Joo (following Myeong Joo's father's orders which is a general) to Myeong Joo going where Dae Young goes, and the progression of how they finally decide to fight for each other and ultimately get Myeong Joo's father to approve their relationship is very thorough where one couldn't just easily say "Well, that escalated quickly!"

Script-wise, it is very well thought of. The lines are very endearing especially Yoo Shi Jin's which make every fan girls out there wish for their oppas to arrive. But also it is not something you would expect. There is this funny scene where Mo Yeon plugged her phone to a speaker to play some good music to the whole military base in Uruk and a very personal recording professing her feelings for Yoo Shi Jin played. Very funnily unexpected, and unexpectedly funny.

The best thing about this koreanovela is that the writers don't give all the focus to the main characters. They also show stories of the supporting casts like Doctor Song Sang Hyun, a fellow doctor of Kang Mo Yeo, who was very much in love with Nurse Ha Ja Ae who was oblivious that he is so. There is also the struggle for vindication of a doctor who refuses to come back to Korea after failing to rescue someone in a collapsed building after the earthquake. These bits and pieces of stories are crucial in the overall effect of DOTS and as a whole make it a poignant show. These stories come with tears because they are very grievous and sorrowful. The acting were raw and full of emotions, especially in the episodes where Yoo Shi Jin and Seo Dae Young does not come from a mission, and a report of their death came. It is a very painful episode to watch, watching two women cry their heart out, seeing a father's tears of loss, and another father's regret. If you haven't watched DOTS yet, you have been warned (and spoiled, sorry!). If you have, you probably suffered from PTSD the same way I did, and still do.

Descendants of the Sun had quite a lump sum of budget and so they were able to shoot abroad, like the hidden beach in Uruk and the desert scene when Mo Yeon commemmorated Shi Jin's 'death' anniversary which are both in Greece. But how they utilised these beautiful landscapes and put them into something bigger and more stunning is beyond me, that is some credit to their cinematography.

Overall, this show is a 5-star. The casts are perfect in portraying the characters, the soundtrack is amazing, cinematography is top class, and the script is well thought of, well-written, and well-acted. Aside from the main casts, the supporting characters are very easy to love as well which added bonus points to this drama.

What makes a book, or a movie, or a drama good is its ability to influence its viewers' perception and thinking. If it inspires its viewers, or educates them, or makes them think in a way they haven't before. Descendants of the Sun achieved exactly that. I have come to appreciate soldiers, doctors, and nurses more. The decisions they make every day, to save lives, to protect lives, and the burden that follows are beyond what a normal person could comprehend.

But in all seriousness, I love DOTS because who's not into hot military guys? OPPA~!!!