Zimbabwe hold Japan in friendly match

A hastily re-arranged match between World Cup finalists Japan and Zimbabwe finally took off in South Africa with both teams battling to a 0-0 draw. Reports suggest the match was eventually played in an empty stadium because of the short notice. Japan wanted to play an African side as a tune-up for their World Cup opener against Cameroon on Monday.

The Japanese initially snubbed Zimbabwe choosing instead to play Mozambique but when the Mozambicans pulled out at the last minute Zimbabwe were put back into the frame. The Japan Football Association said, “We wanted to make the announcement only after confirming that the Zimbabwe team had arrived here.”

Japan controlled large parts of the game against Zimbabwe on Thursday, but could not find the telling breakthrough. The game was split into three periods each 30 minutes long, and throughout the entire game Zimbabwe only managed one shot on goal.

Japanese striker Keisuke Honda was pleased with his side’s progression despite the result and insists they are prepared for their opener against Cameroon. He said: “Although we didn’t score in such a short period, we managed to find several patterns that we can use against Cameroon. I take it as a positive.”

ZIFA chief Executive Henrietta Rushwaya who is in South Africa said “We were disappointed when it was announced that Mozambique would take our slot because we remained convinced that we did everything according to expectations and indicated that we were ready for the game.”

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