Russia edge closer to last 16 after beating Egypt 3-1

Egypt's Tarek Hamed, left, and Russia's Alexander Golovin compete for the ball during the group A match between Russia and Egypt at the 2018 soccer World Cup in the St. Petersburg stadium in St. Petersburg, Russia, Tuesday, June 19, 2018. [Photo: AP]

World Cup Hosts Russia virtually booked their place in the last 16 with a 3-1 win over Egypt that moved them to the top of Group A with six points from two games.

Egypt forward Mohamed Salah scored a penalty after returning from injury but made little impact to the rest of the game.

"Well, my thoughts are quite straightforward, we needed the win in order to reach our target. It is clear that the Egyptians also needed to win in order to maintain their chances and we also wanted to win," says Russia coach Stanislav Cherchesov.

Japan secured a 2-1 victory against 10-man Colombia in their Group H opener.

The Asian team profited from Colombia's nightmare start as Carlos Sanchez was sent off in the third minute for handling the ball in the penalty area.

It was the first red card shown at this World Cup - and the second fastest in history.

Shinji Kagawa delivered a spot-kick and Japan dominated the whole game.

Also in Group H, Senegal defeated Poland 2-1 in a game of few chances to claim the first win by an African team at the World Cup.