Koji Yamase grabbed a second-half double as Japan warmed up for the upcoming World Cup qualifier against Thailand with a 3-0 friendly win over Bosnia-Herzegovina at the National Stadium in Tokyo.
The midfielder, on as a first-half substitute for the injured Seichiro Maki, struck twice in the last 10 minutes to seal victory after Yuji Nakazawa had given the home side the lead with just over 20 minutes to go.
Japan coach Takeshi Okada had opted to start with Yoshito Okubo after the Vissel Kobe forward's lively performance in Saturday's goalless draw with Chile.
And the hosts immediately looked far sharper from the kick-off with new Urawa Reds signing Naohiro Takahara threatening after just five minutes before Okubo also went close.
The Bosnians had early chances through Dario Damjanovic, Admir Rascic and Mirko Hrgovic before Okada was forced to replace the injured Maki with Yamase as the first half ended in a stalemate.
The substitute then nearly broke the deadlock just after the break before Japan eventually went in front when Yamase set up Nakazawa and he found the back of the net in the 68th minute.
The Bosnians began to tire as the game went on and the hosts doubled their advantage in the 83rd minute when Yamase latched on to a lofted pass from Okubo and fired home.
The Yokohama F. Marinos midfielder then put the result firmly beyond doubt two minutes from time with a powerful finish for his second of the game after being fed by second-half substitute Ryuji Bando.
Japan coach Okada revealed he told his team to be more ruthless in the second half.
"Our players seemed too concerned with creating stylish chances in the first half," he said.
"I had to tell our players to concentrate on scoring. It was good to initially score the first goal and then add two more when our opponents began to tire.
"But we need to be more ruthless in the game against Thailand."
Bosnia coach Meho Kodro was happy with his side's first 45 minutes and felt a lack of sharpness eventually proved the difference between the sides.
"I think we matched and were even perhaps better than Japan in the first half, which I was happy with," he said.
"However, we lost control of the game and couldn't do as much as we wanted. Our players lacked physical fitness as they had just started training after their winter break and were also affected by the climate difference between the countries."
The match was attended by former Japan coach Ivica Osim, who made his first public appearance after suffering a stroke in mid-November.
The smiling Bosnian coach waved to the fans when he was shown on the stadium's big screen.
He is currently working on his rehabilitation at a hospital in Tokyo.
Japan coach Takeshi Okada had opted to start with Yoshito Okubo after the Vissel Kobe forward's lively performance in Saturday's goalless draw with Chile.
And the hosts immediately looked far sharper from the kick-off with new Urawa Reds signing Naohiro Takahara threatening after just five minutes before Okubo also went close.
The Bosnians had early chances through Dario Damjanovic, Admir Rascic and Mirko Hrgovic before Okada was forced to replace the injured Maki with Yamase as the first half ended in a stalemate.
The substitute then nearly broke the deadlock just after the break before Japan eventually went in front when Yamase set up Nakazawa and he found the back of the net in the 68th minute.
The Bosnians began to tire as the game went on and the hosts doubled their advantage in the 83rd minute when Yamase latched on to a lofted pass from Okubo and fired home.
The Yokohama F. Marinos midfielder then put the result firmly beyond doubt two minutes from time with a powerful finish for his second of the game after being fed by second-half substitute Ryuji Bando.
Japan coach Okada revealed he told his team to be more ruthless in the second half.
"Our players seemed too concerned with creating stylish chances in the first half," he said.
"I had to tell our players to concentrate on scoring. It was good to initially score the first goal and then add two more when our opponents began to tire.
"But we need to be more ruthless in the game against Thailand."
Bosnia coach Meho Kodro was happy with his side's first 45 minutes and felt a lack of sharpness eventually proved the difference between the sides.
"I think we matched and were even perhaps better than Japan in the first half, which I was happy with," he said.
"However, we lost control of the game and couldn't do as much as we wanted. Our players lacked physical fitness as they had just started training after their winter break and were also affected by the climate difference between the countries."
The match was attended by former Japan coach Ivica Osim, who made his first public appearance after suffering a stroke in mid-November.
The smiling Bosnian coach waved to the fans when he was shown on the stadium's big screen.
He is currently working on his rehabilitation at a hospital in Tokyo.
Copyright (c) Press Association
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