Japan v Cameroon review and latest odds

Written by Tony Concannon Tuesday, 15 June 2010 11:22

England World Cup Blog

 Whilst admiring the remarkable outfit Cameroon keeper Souleymanou Hamidou was sporting against Japan it dawned on me that I've seen this style somewhere before. It all came flooding back. Yep, it's exactly what editor Dave Allan used to wear during his university days. It was definitely one of his old jumpers.

Cameroon were certainly out to impress in their garish yellow skin-tight tops, with red stripes for added effect. Think they'd had a few Red Stripes before kick-off judging by their disjointed performance. Not even Eto'o could carry the whole team, whilst trying to cross and score at the same time. Surely he would have been better in the box rather than stuck out on the right wing.

Japan were able to secure a momentous first World Cup win on foreign soil. It will be a massive relief for coach Takeshi Okada as he was under enormous pressure before the game. He gambled with Honda alternating with Okubo up front, whilst packing midfield, and it worked. Tireless Honda holds the key to Japan's World Cup journey and it was he who ignited their stalling start by driving in the opener with his left boot to put the brakes on Cameroon's bright beginning. The defensive axis of Nakazawa and Tulio closed the door on any Cameroon attacks and Japan just about crossed the finish line.

However, Honda and his boys will need to move up a gear and steer clear of any mistakes against the Netherlands and Denmark. From a neutral perspective I think it's not automatic that Denmark will go on to qualify from this group. The Danes could well be overtaken by Japan, if the Samurai Blue can show more of the same spark and drive that they did against Cameroon. 

Can Cameroon still qualify or will it be as tight as their tops? - Latest Odds here

How far can Honda drive Japan - Latest Odds Here

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