World NewsJapan Leave It Late Against Bahrain |
ATSUTO Uchida scored a bizarre last-gasp winner as Japan posted a narrow win over Bahrain in an Asian zone World Cup qualifier at Saitama Stadium on Sunday evening.
The victory sees Japan finish at the top of Group Two, ahead of Bahrain, who also progress to the next phase of the qualification campaign.Takeshi Okada's troops claimed all the points after Uchida's arcing header bounced over Bahrain goalkeeper Sayed Mohamed Jaafar and into the back of the net in the final minute of the match.
Shunsuke Nakamura had earlier seen his penalty kick saved by the Bahrain custodian while Yasuhito Endo was unfortunate to see his rasping first-half free-kick rattle the woodwork.
Japan were given the chance to go ahead as early as the fifth minute when Hisato Sato was fouled in the area by Sayed Mohamed Adnan, but Nakamura's spot-kick was well kept out by Jaafar.
The hosts struggled to stamp their authority on the match for the remainder of the period with the Bahrainis enjoying the best of the chances, the most notable of which being Fauzi Mubarak A'aish's 30-yarder that was gather by Seigo Narazaki.
Japan almost went ahead in injury time at the end of the first half but Endo's dipping free-kick hit the underside of the crossbar and Keisuke Honda was wayward with the follow-up effort.
Narazaki blocked another A'aish effort after 53 minutes but thereafter the visitors struggled to threaten the Japan goal.
The game appeared to be petering out into a draw as the final whistle approached, but right at the death Uchida popped up with the unlikeliest of winners to seal three welcome points for Japan.
Copyright (c) 2008 Press Association
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