Montenegro slip up in Japan

Japan 2-0 Montenegro
Yuji Nakazawa and Naohiro Takahara were on target as Montenegro suffered their first defeat in only their second international game since independence.

Penalty miss
Having beaten Hungary 2-1 in March, fine headers from defender Nakazawa in the 23rd minute and Eintracht Frankfurt forward Takahara seven minutes before the interval were enough for the home team to take the victory. Montenegro picked up after the interval but stand-in captain Igor Burzanović spurned a golden chance to get his side back into the match when he missed a 68th-minute penalty.

More freedom
Coach Zoran Filipović said: "It was very difficult to control the match against a well-organised side who have played together for a long time. We didn't react well to the goals and couldn't put any pressure on the Japan defence. At half-time I told players to play with more freedom and to go forward. In the second half, we showed we can play good aggressive football." In their second game in Japan, Montenegro will play Colombia on Sunday.