Neymar scored a penalty and missed another as Brazil signalled their intent ahead of next year's World Cup by outclassing Japan 3-1 in Friday's international friendly in Lille.... more »
Japan pulverised Bulgaria 7-2 in the four-team Kirin Cup friendly tournament Friday, with playmaker Shinji Kagawa scoring twice in an embarrassingly one-sided game.... more »
Asian heavyweights Australia and Japan booked their places in the next round of World Cup qualifying with big wins on Tuesday as China stunned Qatar to bring their campaign back from the dead.... more »
Japan thrashed Syria 5-0 to finish top of their World Cup qualifying group on Tuesday but they needed a flurry of late goals to give the scoreline a flattering complexion.... more »
Leicester City striker Shinji Okazaki provided the spark as Japan overcame a slow start to steamroller Afghanistan 5-0 at home in a World Cup and Asian Cup qualifier on Thursday.... more »
Europe-based stars Keisuke Honda and Maya Yoshida were both among the goals as Japan wreaked revenge on Singapore and went top of their World Cup qualifying group with an emphatic 3-0 away win on Thursday.... more »
Japan coach Vahid Halihodzic said his players will be on a mission for revenge when they face Singapore in a World Cup qualifier on Thursday.... more »
Under-fire Japan coach Vahid Halilhodzic called up big guns Keisuke Honda and Shinji Kagawa on Thursday for the World Cup qualifiers against minnows Cambodia and Afghanistan.... more »
Japan will unleash their top players on tiny Singapore in a World Cup qualifier this month after coach Vahid Halilhodzic on Monday named 13 Europe-based players among his squad.... more »
Japan coach Vahid Halilhodzic promised on Thursday to turn the Blue Samurai into a team who feared no one, but admitted there was plenty of work still to be done.... more »
Qatar received a difficult draw for the 2018 World Cup on Tuesday as they embark on their final attempt to qualify for the tournament before hosting it in 2022.... more »
Goal-hungry Japan floored Uzbekistan 5-1 with an explosive performance in a friendly on Tuesday, with young guns Takashi Usami and Gaku Shibasaki pointing to a bright future for the Blue Samurai.... more »
Shinji Okazaki and Keisuke Honda came off the bench to score quickfire goals as Japan beat Tunisia 2-0 on Friday in their first outing under new coach Vahid Halilhodzic.... more »
New manager Vahid Halilhodzic on Thursday put a firm stamp on his first Japan squad -- for this month's home friendlies against Tunisia and Uzbekistan -- by ending the distinguished international career of Yasuhito Endo.... more »
Firebrand Vahid Halilhodzic on Friday promised to repair Japan's shattered confidence and restore fragile egos as the Franco-Bosnian was unveiled as the new Blue Samurai coach.... more »
Bosnian Vahid Halilhodzic has agreed to become the new coach of the Japan national team following the sacking of Mexican Javier Aguirre, Japanese football officials said on Thursday.... more »
Japanese football officials were tightlipped Thursday as Algeria's 2014 World Cup coach Vahid Halilhodzic emerged as the leading candidate for the vacant national team job, according to local media.... more »
Japanese football officials maintained a stony silence over their search for a new national team coach Thursday, as former Roma boss Luciano Spalletti was strongly linked to the job.... more »
Japan's football chiefs refused to comment Tuesday on reports linking Danish former Barcelona and Real Madrid star Michael Laudrup to the national team's vacant coaching job.... more »
Japan's football authorities on Tuesday sacked coach Javier Aguirre, amid claims he was involved in match-fixing during a previous tenure in Spain.... more »
Japan's shock Asian Cup quarter-final exit has left their big-money players dumbfounded and plunged the future of Mexican coach Javier Aguirre into doubt.... more »
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