Japan vs Costa Rica Live

There are four good games lined-up for today after the drama of yesterday. Japan kick-off today's action with a clash against Costa Rica before Belgium take on Morocco. Croatia and Canada kickoff the evening action before Spain and Germany round up the action in their heavyweight clash.

The team news are out for the first match of the day. Japan boss Hajime Moriyasu makes five changes despite their win over Germany. Miki Yamane, Hidemasa Morita, Yuki Soma, Ayase Ueda and Ritsu Doan, who came off the bench to score the equaliser against Germany, are all in the starting line-up.

Japan XI: Gonda; Yamane, Itakura, Yoshida, Nagatomo; Endo, Morita, Doan, Kamada, Soma; Ueda.

Meanwhile, Costa Rica make just two changes despite their 7-0 loss to Spain. Kendall Waston replaces Carlos Martinez at right-back and Gerson Torres is preferred to Jewison Bennette on the left wing.

Costa Rica XI: Navas; Waston, Duarte, Calvo, Oviedo; Fuller, Borges, Tejeda, Torres; Campbell, Contreras

The players are out for their national anthems with Japan going first.

The man in the middle is Michael Oliver. Premier League fans will be familiar with him.

Japan attack straight from the start and we have our first corner kick of the day

Costa Rica defend their lines, though.

Japan have dominated the early stages, but still not shot on target. Costa Rica will have to show more because they cannot afford to lose this game.

Half an hour on the mark, but it has been a cagey affair so far.

Half chance for Costa Rica, but Joel Campbell's audacious rabona was off target.

Japan are now applying the heat as we head towards half time. This current result does not suit Germany, by the way. The four-time World Champions need Costa Rica to win if they want to have a chance of progressing even if they lose to Spain tonight.

Japan 0-0 Costa Rica. Michael Oliver has had enough. No goals in the opening half.

In 25 games so far at the World Cup in Qatar, 12 have been 0-0 at halftime, although only five have ended goalless at fulltime.

Japan have started this half on the front foot. Keylor Navas has already been called into action twice in the space of three minutes

By the way, Japan made two changes at half-time.  Ayase Ueda comes off for Takuma Asano while Yuto Nagatomo off for Hiroki Ito

Freekick for Japan in a dangerous position, but it comes out with nothing. We are still yet to see a player score from a direct freekick in this tournament.

It has been all Japan in the second half and I'm tempted to say Costa Rica are really bad bad.

Change for Costa Rica. Jewison Bennette comes on for Anthony Contreras  while  Gerson Torres is replaced by Brandon Aguilera

Francisco Calvo is a lucky man after he was shown a yellow card for pulling down Ito who was through on goal. Japan have a freekick on the edge of the box. This is a big chance.

Chance gone again as Kamada hit it straight into the wall.

Japan are edging closer, but Costa Rica are also defending resiliently.

The Herediano defender somehow found himself at the edge of the box before firing a left-curler past grasping hands of Gonda in Japan's goal. No one saw this coming. It was Costa Rica's first shot on target in this tournament, and they have scored from it. Football.

Japan have responded by brining on Takumi Minamino.

What a chance! Japan have the opportunity to draw level, but Kamada could only hit straight at Navas after brilliant work from Asano. That was a huge chance. If Japan lose this game, they only have themselves to blame.

Six minutes of added time.

That is the end of our morning coverage, joins in 30 minutes for the clash between Belgium and Morocco.