On theBall: Japan completes Asian success story

Abu Dhabi: Two guided missiles from Japanese Keisuke Honda and Yashuhito Endo took their team to the round of 16 of the World Cup and deprived the Danes, for the first time, of a second round appearance.

Japan beat Denmark 3-1 and reached the knockout stage for the first time on foreign soil to complete the Asian success story in the finals after South Korea also achieved the same feat earlier in the competition. The Blue Samurai will face Paraguay on June 29 in a make-or-break encounter.

Japanese football fans have found another idol in Honda to replace their most loved player Kazushi Miura, who shined in the 90s.

Honda whose single goal was enough to beat Cameroon in the opener and put Japan on the path to the second round, again opened the scoring against Denmark.

The Japanese team in this tournament is brimming with maturity, not only from the players but also from Takeshi Okada, the head coach, who showed complete knowledge of his players' capabilities and laid plans accordingly.

It was a good sign to see how the team reacted after the Danes scored their consolation goal by captain Jon Dahl Tomasson, in his last international match, They did not panic but soon restored the two goal difference when Shinji Okazaki added a third.

The Japanese were not the only delegation celebrating in South Africa. Vladimir Weiss, the youngest coach in the World Cup who is only 45, led debutants Slovakia to beat reigning champions Italy 3-2 to reach the second round, while the Italians took the plane home.

It is refreshing to see some new teams beating the traditional powerhouses of international football. Change is on the way.