OSAKA — Japan's World Cup preparations took another heavy blow after being outclassed by a second-string Serbia in a 3-0 defeat on Wednesday night.
Manager Takeshi Okada was hoping to use the friendly at Nagai Stadium as a final audition before he picks his final 23-man squad for South Africa next month, but two first-half goals from Dragan Mrda and a 60th-minute free kick by Nemanja Tomic ensured the only players to catch the eye were Serbian.
Opposing manager Radomir Antic did not even take his place on the bench as he delegated responsibility to assistant Radovan Curcic, but his players, drawn exclusively from the domestic league with the likes of Manchester United's Nemanja Vidic and Inter Milan's Dejan Stankovic unavailable, showed a cohesion and purpose that the home side sorely lacked.