Maya Yoshida is the latest Saints player to be knocked out of the World Cup after Japan lost 4-1 to Colombia in their final group game.

The centre half played the full 90 minutes of all three of Japan’s games but his nation could only muster a solitary point from their Group C fixtures.

Japan went into tonight’s game with Colombia knowing they had to beat the group leaders to stand a chance of getting through.

Their spirits would have been lifted when they saw the South American’s teamsheet which showed a whole raft of changes to protect players for the last 16 for which they had already qualified.

However, it just wasn’t to be their evening.

A lack of quality in the final third and an early mistake was their undoing.

Japan started brightly but a moment of madness saw Yasuyuki Konno dive into a tackle and fell Adrian Ramos in the box to give away a penalty which Juan Cuadrado converted on 17 minutes.

Japan got back into the game as Shinji Okazaki’s header with the last touch of the first half sent them into the break level.

Colombia stepped it up a gear in the second half though and a brace of goals from Jackson Martinez and a brilliant late strike from James Rodriguez condemned Japan to a heavy defeat and elimination from the tournament with the South American side and Greece making it through the group.

Colombia now face Gaston Ramirez’s Uruguay in the last 16 on Sunday night.