The opening Group F match at the World Cup between Morocco and Croatia ended in a goalless draw, with Kristijan Jakic an unused substitute for the 2018 runners-up.
Daichi Kamada, in contrast, played the full 90 minutes for Japan in their 2-1 win against Germany. The German side dominated for much of the match and took the lead through Ilkay Gündogan’s penalty in the 33rd minute, but the Samurai Blue turned the game on its head thanks to goals from Ritsu Doan (76’) and Takuma Asano (83’).
Mario Götze was unable to turn the tide after replacing Jamal Musiala in the 79th minute, making his international comeback five years after earning his last cap. His previous Germany appearance was on 14 November 2017 in a 2-2 draw with France. Kevin Trapp remained on the bench throughout.
The last remaining teams will kick off their campaigns on Thursday, including Switzerland and Djibril Sow, who face Cameroon at 11:00 CET.
