Borussia Dortmund midfielder Shinji Kagawa scored the only goal as Japan beat Paraguay 1-0 on Saturday in their first game since the World Cup.
Kawasaki midfielder Kengo Nakamura sent a pass through to Kagawa, whose shot from just outside the area went in off the post in the 64th minute.
Kagawa, 21, said he was pleased to take revenge over Paraguay, who knocked Japan out of the World Cup in South Africa on penalties at the round-of-16 stage in June.
Japan set the early pace, with CSKA Moscow midfielder Keisuke Honda and Yuzo Kurihara threatening the South Americans’ goal.
The visitors took the momentum after 15 minutes, but their trio of forwards — Nestor Camacho, Lucas Barrios and Roque Santa Cruz — failed to find the net.
Japan had a good chance in first-half stoppage-time when skipper Yuji Nakazawa’s header from Nakamura’s corner was saved by Justo Villar.
Paraguay midfielder Jonathan Santana’s sizzling shot narrowly went wide at the beginning of the second half and he mishit a similar shot 10 minutes later, before the home side scored the opener.
The visitors had a chance to level, but defender Paulo da Silva’s header from a corner was cleared by Nakamura in the 84th minute.
Japan will next take on Guatemala in Osaka on Tuesday, while Paraguay will meet China the same day.
Japan’s new Italian coach, Alberto Zaccheroni, watched the game from the stands as he has yet to obtain a work visa. His first stint will be friendlies next month against Argentina at home and South Korea away.
■ZAMBIA v COMOROS ISLANDS
Reuters, LUSAKA
An Africa Cup of Nations qualifier in Zambia had to be postponed for 24 hours yesterday when the referees failed to arrive.
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) ordered the Group C qualifier between Zambia and the Comoros Islands in Lusaka to be rescheduled for today because the officiating team from Eritrea were stuck in transit in Dubai.
The referees were expected to arrive near midnight on Saturday, the match commissioner, Wellington Nyatanga of Zimbabwe, told a press conference.
Replacement officials from South Africa were on standby to catch an early plane from Johannesburg today if the Eritrean team did not arrive.
Poor flight connections in Africa often mean that teams and officials have to fly via Europe or the Middle East to get from one African country to another.
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