National team manager Vahid Halilhodzic singled out young debutants Kosuke Nakamura and Junya Ito for praise after Japan kicked off its E-1 Football Championship campaign with a fortunate 1-0 win over North Korea on Saturday.
Halilhodzic had goalkeeper Nakamura to thank for keeping Japan in the game at Ajinomoto Stadium after the 22-year-old made a string of important saves to keep out the lively North Koreans before Yosuke Ideguchi scored the winner in the 94th minute.
Halilhodzic fielded an inexperienced lineup with his European-based players unavailable and Asian club champions Urawa Reds involved in the Club World Cup, and 24-year-old winger Ito — who replaced Yojiro Takahagi in the 56th minute — was one of the few players to emerge with any real credit.