La única otra vez que los nipones superaron la fase de grupos en sus cuatro mundiales fue en 2002 cuando fueron coanfitriones junto con Corea del Sur, otro equipo asiático que se metió en octavos de final en Sudáfrica.
Dos de los tres tantos japoneses llegaron por la vía del tiro libre: Keisuke Honda a los 17 -con un remate desde el borde derecho del área que se metió por el segundo palo- y Yasuhito Endo a los 30 con uno con comba desde el otro lado del área.
Shinji Okazaki hizo el tercero a los 87, mientras que Jon Dahl Tomasson descontó a los 81 al meter el rebote de un penal que le atajó el arquero Eiji Kawashima.Japón terminó segundo en el Grupo E con seis unidades y enfrentará el martes en la siguiente fase a Paraguay, líder del F. Holanda encabezó el E con nueve unidades luego de vencer 2-1 a Camerún y su próximo oponente es Eslovaquia.
Dinamarca se despidió con tres puntos y Camerún no sumó.
Mundial 2010: Fotos de Japón
Denmark's Soren Larsen, left, competes for the ball with Japan's Marcus Tulio Tanaka, right, during the World Cup group E soccer match between Denmark and Japan at Royal Bafokeng Stadium in Rustenburg, South Africa, Thursday, June 24, 2010. (AP Photo/Ivan Sekretarv)
Japan's Daisuke Matsui, top, chests the ball as Denmark's Simon Busk Poulsen looks up during the World Cup group E soccer match between Denmark and Japan at Royal Bafokeng Stadium in Rustenburg, South Africa, on Thursday, June 24, 2010. (AP Photo/Ivan Sekretarv)
Denmark's Nicklas Bendtner, top right, gestures as he is shown a yellow card by referee Jerome Damon, from South Africa, left, during the World Cup group E soccer match between Denmark and Japan at Royal Bafokeng Stadium in Rustenburg, South Africa, Thursday, June 24, 2010. (AP Photo/Ivan Sekretarv)
Denmark's Christian Poulsen, left, competes for the ball with Japan's Keisuke Honda, right, during the World Cup group E soccer match between Denmark and Japan at Royal Bafokeng Stadium in Rustenburg, South Africa, Thursday, June 24, 2010. (AP Photo/Shuji Kajiyama)
Denmark's Jakob Poulsen, left, competes for the ball with Japan's Daisuke Matsui, right, during the World Cup group E soccer match between Denmark and Japan at Royal Bafokeng Stadium in Rustenburg, South Africa, Thursday, June 24, 2010. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham)
Japan players go to stop a shot by Denmark's Daniel Agger, foreground, during the World Cup group E soccer match between Denmark and Japan at Royal Bafokeng Stadium in Rustenburg, South Africa, Thursday, June 24, 2010. (AP Photo/Shuji Kajiyama)
Japan's Makoto Hasebe, front, competes for the ball with Denmark's Soren Larsen, center, during the World Cup group E soccer match between Denmark and Japan at Royal Bafokeng Stadium in Rustenburg, South Africa, Thursday, June 24, 2010. (AP Photo/Shuji Kajiyama)
Japan's Yoshito Okubo, left, competes for the ball with Denmark's Lars Jacobsen, right, during the World Cup group E soccer match between Denmark and Japan at Royal Bafokeng Stadium in Rustenburg, South Africa, Thursday, June 24, 2010. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham)
Denmark head coach Morten Olsen, left, looks on during the World Cup group E soccer match between Denmark and Japan at Royal Bafokeng Stadium in Rustenburg, South Africa, on Thursday, June 24, 2010. (AP Photo/Shuji Kajiyama)
Denmark's Soren Larsen, left, competes for the ball with Japan's Marcus Tulio Tanaka, right, during the World Cup group E soccer match between Denmark and Japan at Royal Bafokeng Stadium in Rustenburg, South Africa, Thursday, June 24, 2010. (AP Photo/Shuji Kajiyama)
Comments
6:43 PM Jun 24th 2010
walter flores
QUE BUENO POR JAPON QUE SIGAN ADELANTE LA ARMADA SAMURAI.