National Team Match:

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Japan 3 - 1 UAE

Date: July 13, 2007 Location: Vietnam Japan 3 3 1H 0 0 2H 1 1 UAE Naohiro Takahara (22') Naohiro Takahara (27') Shunsuke Nakamura (42') Scoring Alkas (66') Shunsuke Nakamura Yoshikatsu Kawaguchi Cautions H. Said Nasser H. Ali Alkas Sent off B. Said Yoshikatsu Kawaguchi, Akira Kaji, Yuji Nakazawa, Yuki Abe, Yuichi Komano, Keita Suzuki (Yasuyuki Konno 77), Kengo Nakamura, Shunsuke Nakamura (Koki Mizuno 71), Yasuhito Endo, Seiichiro Maki, Naohiro Takahara (Naotake Hanyu 67) TBA

After Japan's weak performance against the UAE, in its opening match of the Asian Cup, Ivica Osim promised to deliver "beautiful football". Well, as they say, "beauty is in the eye of the beholder". Some may console themselves with the memory of the flowing grace that created Japan's first two goals, and pretend that they had turned off the TV at the 30 minute mark and gone to bed at a decent hour. Unfortunately, those who live and die for true glimpses of the beautiful game are likely to come away feeling like their hosts had served a delicately marinated raw salmon and avocado salad with a snifter of 12-year-old Villiera Brut Natural as the appetizer, and then brought out an undercooked slab of dry meatloaf and a bottle of Mogen-David 20/20 for the main course.

As the title on our main news page suggests, this was not so much a celebration of beautiful football as a pugilistic fray in which a battered but proud older fighter defeats the awkward brute of an opponent, but not before taking some heavy punishment and looking very much like the fading has-been he had become. Make no mistake about it, Japan did prove their point. They are still the team to beat in Asia, and no matter how roughed up or punch-drunk they might be, they will continue to be "the Champeen" until someone good enough and hard-working enough manages to knock them out.

Still . . . as "beautiful football" goes, this one was about as beautiful as an empty parking lot.

Japan certainly started off this match with the right idea. We still have a hard time understanding some of coach Osim's player selections, but at least the team seemed to understand what was expected of them, this time out. Not only did they work the ball around with crispness and precision, but they even showed hints that they might be willing to run a bit, despite the 33-degree heat. It took 22 minutes to finally find the net, but Japan was well on the road to victory long before Naohiro Takahara headed home Shunsuke Nakamura's cross from the corner, following a short corner-kick exchange with Yasuhito Endo. When Takahara rattled a cross from Akira Kaji into the netting, just five minutes later, it seemed that Japan were on their way to an easy romp to victory, and no doubt there were a few fans rubbing their hands in anticipation of a high-scoring rout.

That was not to be. Ironically, it was a cheap PK call by the Thai referee that seemed to mark the shift in the tid, and everything seemed to go wrong for Japan from that moment on. Japan's third goal was a gift-wrapped present from the referee. Endo was put through into the box on a lovely, over-the top chip from Nakamura, but he froze in indecision as soon as he settled the ball, unable to decide what to do next. By the time he finally flicked the ball towards the far post, the keeper was in his face, and the cross was way off target. In fact, Takahara was lucky to avoid a yellow card when he tried to pull down the wayward cross with his hand.

The ref apparently didnt see the hand ball, but he did spot a collision between the keeper and Endo, well after the ball was gone. You can argue all day about whether a late collision on a play like that deserves a PK, but regardless of your point of view, you have to admit that it was a pretty soft goal for Japan. Perhaps the crushing challenge on Seiichiro Maki at the penalty spot, five minutes later (which the Thai ref blithely ignored) can be viewed as a bit of poetic justice. At least Japan deserved ONE penalty kick in this match.

But from the moment Nakamura's kick hit the roof of the net, the Samurai Blue sheathed their swords and went into a rope-a-dope coma that really is not worth discussing. While coach Osim tried to liven things up by holding a "JEF United high school reunion party" and the UAE players did their level best to draw blood or break a bone or two, most of those who enjoy the beautiful game had their hands over their eyes, unable to watch the unseemly spectacle.

If the Rising Sun News felt like delivering an extended rant on Japan's second-half performace, could probably set new records for hyperbole. It really isnt worth the effort, though. We can sum up the entire sad affair with the observation that Japan lost the second half by a 1-0 score line to a ten-man team of grassrollers who knew from the 51st minute on that they were going to be knocked out of the tournament.

Beautiful football?

Thats something we are all still waiting to see.