SAITAMA ¨C Atsuto Uchida scored two minutes before halftime to give Japan a 1-0 win over Cyprus on Tuesday in the Blue Samurai¡¯s last home game before heading off to the World Cup in Brazil.
A crowd of 58,564 turned out at Saitama Stadium hoping to see Alberto Zaccheroni¡¯s side sign off in style with a deluge of goals, but instead a single strike from right back Uchida was all that made the difference against a Cyprus team ranked 130th in FIFA¡¯s world rankings.
Japan now travels to Florida for a training camp before heading to Brazil to take on Cote d¡¯Ivoire, Greece and Colombia in World Cup Group C, and Zaccheroni is hoping his side will be in better physical shape for its opener against the Ivorians on June 14.
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