YOKOHAMA — National team manager Takeshi Okada insists there will be no let-up from his side against Qatar in Wednesday's World Cup qualifier despite having already secured safe passage to South Africa.
Japan beat Uzbekistan 1-0 in Tashkent last Saturday to become the first team to reach the finals, effectively rendering the two remaining qualifiers against the Gulf side and Australia dead rubbers.
But Okada is of a different opinion, throwing down the gauntlet to those fringe players who impressed at the recent Kirin Cup thrashings of Chile and Belgium to use the game at International Stadium Yokohama to make their mark again.
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