Colombia right back Santiago Arias on Sunday said that his team wants to start its 2018 FIFA World Cup run in an auspicious fashion when it takes on Japan, its first Group H rival.
"We have not started (the tournament) yet, but we have clear objectives as well as things we have to continue working on.
We want to start off on the right foot, " the PSV Eindhoven player spoke at a press conference two days before squaring off against Japan, reported Efe.
Arias, named the best player of last season's Dutch league, showed confidence in the work the team has been doing, but said he was aware of the danger Japan's Keisuke Honda could pose.
He preferred to avoid discussing the Video Assistant Referee (VAR), which was used to award two penalties during Saturday's matches, saying that he does not give it much thought as a defender, whose main focus is on recovering the ball.