Japan Beat Denmark to Qualify for Last 16

Two magnificently taken first half free kick goals by Keisuke Honda with his left foot and Yasuhito Endo with his right plus a third goal in the second half by substitute Shinji Okazaki catapulted Japan into the last 16 of the 2010 World Cup with a 3-1 victory over Denmark. The Japanese goal keeper Eiji Kawashima did well to save a penalty from the Danish captain Tomasson but couldn’t keep out the followup.

Yasuhito Endo curls a free kick around the Denmark wall into the goal

Hi-speed Japanese

Japan really took the game to the Danes from the whistle was blown running circles around the Denmark defense to the sound of their cheering fans and buzzing vuvuzelas in the Royal Bafokeng Stadium. The Japanese were really like bees playing quick, counterattacking football in a game played at break neck speed and sprinkled with some magnificent goals. Congratulations Team Blue Samurai and good luck with your match against against Paraguay in the round of 16!

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Keisuke Honda double teamed - look at all the funny faces ^_^

Just as I predicted

Remember that post I wrote about Japan’s Chances at the World Cup? It has come fruition just as I hoped it would! Japan beat Cameroon, fought hard but lost to the Dutch but won their final game against Denmark!

Eat Your Heart Out

The local television station broadcasting the World Cup was showing the Netherlands vs Cameroon match so i had to resort to finding an online stream while following the BBC live text stream. The first half free kick from Honda is easily my favourite play of the game and I couldn’t describe it any better than Sam Lyon from the BBC, I’ve leave you with that quote.

Cristiano Ronaldo eat your heart out. Keisuke Honda lines up a free-kick near the right touchline 30 yards out – and proceeds to spank it over the wall, dipping into the far corner. Outstanding.

[japan]

9 thoughts on “Japan Beat Denmark to Qualify for Last 16

  1. Respect! Japan was way better and I think well deserved to move on. They even played better football than South Korea. I’m not sure how far they can go, but they can go pretty fast… like Honda (pun intended!) [japan]

  2. No!…. I was just watching the replay here (starting at 6:30am rather than 4am here in Adelaide)….thought I’d just log on and check out blogs at half time. But I didn’t want to know the result… oh well it was 2-0 at half time, so I guess the writing was on the wall anyway.

  3. Very happy for Japan. Mi caan believe CVM a show Cameroon eediat game ‘gainst NED, which was both a lost cause and a foregone conclusion…not to mention pretty boring (good thing my people dem a carry all games live and in living colour and mi can flip btwn dem all), when the JPN match had more importance and likelihood for drama. Oh and the Japanese princess is here to wish the boys well; Her Imperial Highness been planting cherry trees too

  4. Woo, and to think that there is so much fuss about the ‘supermarket ball’! Two perfect free kicks and one just saved. Really impressive team Kirk. I’ve been watching them for two world cups, and trust me, this one seems like the best. Young, athletic, fast and accurate. Why not win the World Cup eh? 🙂

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