YOKOHAMA — Japan gained a measure of revenge for this summer's World Cup exit by beating second-round conqueror Paraguay 1-0 on Saturday night.
The South Americans broke Japanese hearts with a 5-3 penalty shootout win after a 0-0 draw in Pretoria on June 29, but a well-taken second-half goal from Shinji Kagawa was enough to settle the rematch in front of 65,157 at Nissan Stadium.
The match was one of two friendlies to be played under Japan Football Association technical director Hiromi Hara before he hands over to manager-in-waiting Alberto Zaccheroni, and the caretaker was glad he could play his part after being accused of bungling the search for Takeshi Okada's successor.