SOUTH AFRICA: FOOTBALL/SOCCER - WORLD CUP 2010 - Japan play goalless friendly against Zimbabwe
Record ID:
455543
SOUTH AFRICA: FOOTBALL/SOCCER - WORLD CUP 2010 - Japan play goalless friendly against Zimbabwe
- Title: SOUTH AFRICA: FOOTBALL/SOCCER - WORLD CUP 2010 - Japan play goalless friendly against Zimbabwe
- Date: 11th June 2010
- Summary: GEORGE, SOUTH AFRICA (JUNE 10, 2010) (REUTERS) JAPAN AND ZIMBABWE ON PITCH KEISUKE HONDA ATTACKING ZIMBABWE PLAYERS ON BENCH VARIOUS OF MATCH LINESMAN PLAYERS TACKLING EACH OTHER MORE OF MATCH JAPAN IN ATTACK JAPAN COACH TAKESHI OKADA WATCHING VARIOUS OF MATCH PHOTOGRAPHERS ON SIDE OF PITCH JAPAN PLAYER TAKING SHOT AT GOAL MIDFIELDER JUNICHI INAMOTO STANDING WITH COACH OKADA GOALKEEPER YOSHIKATSU KAWAGUCHI SHAKING HANDS WITH ZIMBABWEAN GOALKEEPER OKADA SHAKING HANDS WITH ZIMBABWEAN COACH AT END OF MATCH OKADA AT NEWS CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE) (Japanese) JAPAN COACH TAKESHI OKADA, SAYING: "Match day is ok but today we wanted to get goals today too. Brazil got three goals against Zimbabwe but Zimbabwe is not an easy side. We achieved our objectives and I hope that we will get goals." JAPAN PLAYERS ON PITCH RECEIVING INSTRUCTION FROM OKADA
- Embargoed: 26th June 2010 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: South Africa
- Country: South Africa
- Topics: Sports
- Reuters ID: LVAT5ZNMOHX05INY2CLHWS7CPXX
- Story Text: Japan played a goalless pre-World Cup friendly against Zimbabwe on Thursday (June 10) as the Blue Samurai gear-up for a face-off with Cameroon in their first match of the tournament.
Non-qualifiers Zimbabwe stepped in at the last minute to play the Japanese for their warm-up match after Mozambique pulled out.
Japan's coach Takeshi Okada joked that his players were saving their goals for match day.
"Match day is ok but we wanted to get goals today too," said Okada. "Brazil got three goals against Zimbabwe but Zimbabwe is not an easy side. We achieved our objectives and I hope that we will get goals."
The warm-up match against Zimbabwe was held at the Japanese training ground in George and was played over three 30-minute segments.
Japan are coming into the tournament on the back of a four-match losing streak. In playing Zimbabwe, the struggling squad had been looking for a much needed confidence boost before playing Cameroon on June 14, but failed to produce any goals.
Japan, who also play the Netherlands and Denmark in Group E, have lost successive matches to Serbia, South Korea, England and Ivory Coast.
The World Cup kicks off on June 11. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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