Published Thu, Feb 11 10 07:09 PM
Striker Keiji Tamada scored twice for hosts Japan who beat Hong Kong 3-0 at the East Asian championship on Thursday to help ease the pressure on coach Takeshi Okada.
Tamada halted Japan's run of two successive goalless draws when he slid the ball home from a tight angle four minutes before halftime in rain-lashed Tokyo.
Booed from the pitch after scraping a 0-0 draw with China in their opening game, World Cup-bound Japan doubled their lead when defender Tulio headed home in the 65th minute.
Tamada bundled home Japan's third with seven minutes remaining to put the home side level with the Chinese on four points and on goal difference after two matches.
Japan realistically have to beat holders South Korea on Sunday to have a chance of capturing their first East Asian title with China facing Hong Kong in their final game.
The Koreans, another of the four Asian teams competing at this year's World Cup in South Africa, overwhelmed Hong Kong 5-0 before suffering a shock 3-0 defeat by China on Wednesday.
Source: Web Search
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