SAITAMA — A freak injury-time goal gave Japan a 1-0 win over Bahrain on Sunday night to send Takeshi Okada's men through to the final round of World Cup qualifiers on a high.
Japan failed to convert a glut of chances throughout a rain-drenched match at Saitama Stadium, but Atsuto Uchida finally broke the deadlock when he headed from outside the box and watched as the ball hit the ground and bounced over Bahrain goalkeeper Sayed Jaffer into the net.
Shunsuke Nakamura's missed 5th-minute penalty looked as if it had set the tone for a night of wasteful finishing from the home side, but Uchida's late intervention clinched first place in Group 2 and exacted revenge for defeat at the hands of the same opposition earlier in the campaign. Both teams had already secured their passage to the final qualification round going into Sunday's match, but Okada was satisfied with the commitment his players showed with nothing but pride to play for.