FRANKFURT, 20 June 2005 — Substitute Masashi Oguro pounced with 14 minutes to go to give Japan a 1-0 win over Greece yesterday and keep the Asian champions in contention at the Confederations Cup.
Japan had looked set to pay a high price for bad finishing, with strikers Atsushi Yanagisawa and Keiji Tamada guilty of a series of appalling misses in a one-sided game. But Zico’s team showed patience as well as masterly technique and they took the lead when Oguro ran on to a pass from Shunsuke Nakamura and tucked the ball past Antonis Nikopolidis.
Angelos Haristeas brought one good save from keeper Yoshikatsu Kawaguchi with six minutes to go but otherwise Japan were untroubled by a disappointing Greece display. Victory gives Japan three points from two Group B matches, while Greece are left without points. Japan’s midfield carved through the Greek defense with the same panache shown by Brazil in their 3-0 win over the European champions on Thursday.
Japan do not possess a center-forward of the calibre of Adriano, however.
Greece, missing the influential Theodoros Zagorakis in midfield, stuck to a clear gameplan at the start, launching high balls up for Haristeas and Zisis Vryzas. That tactic had caused Japan problems in their 2-1 defeat by Mexico but they defended much better this time and were soon troubling Greece on the counter-attack.
Tamada was too eager to shoot after being put into space on the edge of the area in the eighth minute and five minutes later he blasted wide from an even better position on the right.Kaji Akira sent a fierce shot into the side netting in the 19th minute and two minutes later Tamada shot tamely wide after popping up on the left.
Greece abandoned all thoughts of attacking themselves for the remainder of the half and concentrated instead on trying to blunt their opponents in midfield.
