Japan 1 Cameroon 0: Cameroon driven to distraction as Honda ends Japan's famine

His 39th-minute goal at the Free State Stadium in Bloemfontein provided a surprise win for Japan and their coach Takeshi Okada, who had seen his side lose four and draw one of their warm-up matches, scoring only one goal in the process.

While Okada opted for a lone striker in Yoshito Okubo, his Cameroon counterpart Paul Le Guen decided on an adventurous 4-3-3 formation. Cameroon, one of Africa's brightest hopes, were toothless despite having a great deal of possession, although Japan goalkeeper Eiji Kawashima made a fine save from substitute Mohamadou Idrissou in stoppage time to deny them a point.

Much was expected of captain Samuel Eto'o but the Inter Milan striker was left frustrated as Japan defended in numbers.

The closest Cameroon came to finding the target came five minutes from time when Stephane Mbia's effort hit the bar, and with Eto'o tightly marked it proved a frustrating afternoon for the Africans.

Le Guen said: "Of course I am upset that we have lost the game but our attitude was wrong. We were tense and nervous, especially in the first half. We did not show what we are capable of. We were not at our level and kept losing possession."

Match-winner Honda said: "I had to stay calm when the ball came to me as we have missed chances in recent games.

"It is not just about me, however, we defended well. Our team has not had good results but we got it right when it mattered."

Japan coach Okada said: "We knew Cameroon would be physically strong. But my players had a strong motivation to do well.

"They asked me before the match if they could stand with shoulders linked at the national anthem. I thought it was a good idea."