JAPAN 1-0 ARGENTINA, Saitama, 08/10/10
Scorer: Okazaki (18)
Japan are the new Unofficial Football World Champions! Shinji Okazaki was the hero of the day, netting the game's only goal from a rebound after 18 minutes. It's the very first time Japan has held the UFWC title.
Argentina went into the match as UFWC champions and clear favourites, having comprehensively beaten FIFA champs Spain 4-1 last month. It was Japan's 6th UFWC title match, and they'd lost all 5 previous ones.
Argentina lined up with Carlos Tevez, Diego Milito and Lionel Messi up front. The selection of the recently-injured Messi guaranteed Argentina a $200,000 bonus from the Japanese football association.
And Messi was probably the pick of Argentina's players in a mediocre side. That's not to downplay the achievement of Japan, who played an up-tempo counter-attacking game under new coach Alberto Zaccheroni. For Argentina caretaker coach Sergio Batista this hardly helped his chances of taking the job on a permanent basis.
So Japan have halted the short reign of Argentina to take the Unofficial Football World Championships title. Interestingly, that means that the UFWC will now be contested at the Asian Cup in January.
But we don't have to wait anything like that long for the next UFWC title match. Japan will defend their unofficial title in South Korea on Tuesday. We'll have more on that match soon.
JAPAN 1-0 ARGENTINA, Saitama, 08/10/10
Scorer: Okazaki (18)
Japan are the new Unofficial Football World Champions! Shinji Okazaki was the hero of the day, netting the game's only goal from a rebound after 18 minutes. It's the very first time Japan has held the UFWC title.
Argentina went into the match as UFWC champions and clear favourites, having comprehensively beaten FIFA champs Spain 4-1 last month. It was Japan's 6th UFWC title match, and they'd lost all 5 previous ones.
Argentina lined up with Carlos Tevez, Diego Milito and Lionel Messi up front. The selection of the recently-injured Messi guaranteed Argentina a $200,000 bonus from the Japanese football association.
And Messi was probably the pick of Argentina's players in a mediocre side. That's not to downplay the achievement of Japan, who played an up-tempo counter-attacking game under new coach Alberto Zaccheroni. For Argentina caretaker coach Sergio Batista this hardly helped his chances of taking the job on a permanent basis.
So Japan have halted the short reign of Argentina to take the Unofficial Football World Championships title. Interestingly, that means that the UFWC will now be contested at the Asian Cup in January.
But we don't have to wait anything like that long for the next UFWC title match. Japan will defend their unofficial title in South Korea on Tuesday. We'll have more on that match soon.
Related offers
| Offer | Bonus | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|
Boylesports
|
Up To £20 In Free BetsIreland's largest independent bookmaker offers generous promotions and matches the best odds in the market for Horses Racing & Greyhounds. New UK customers (Excluding NI) only. Mobile exclusive. Min Deposit £10. Min stake £10. Min odds Evs. Free bet applied on 1st settlement of any qualifying bet. 30 days to qualify. Free bets expire in 7 days. Cashed out/Free Bets won’t apply. Account & Payment method restrictions apply. 1 Free Bet offer per customer, household & IP Address only. 18+. T&Cs apply. T&Cs apply. |
||
888Sport
|
Bet £10, Get £30 In Free Bets!+ £10 Casino BonusRated #1 choice for Punters who like to bet on accumulators. Min deposit £10. A qualifying bet is a ‘real money’ stake of at least £10. Min odds 1/2 (1.50). Free Bets credited upon qualifying bet settlement and expire after 7 days. Free Bet stakes not included in returns. Casino Bonus must be claimed within 7 days and expires after 14 days. Bonus valid on selected Casino games only. Bonus wins capped at £500, excluding Jackpot wins. You must wager Bonus amount x40 – this requirement varies by game. T&Cs apply. |
||
Betfair
|
Bet £10 On The Sportsbook & Get £30 In Free Bets#1 Rated Betting Exchange Bookmaker. New Customer offer. Place a min £10 bet on the Sportsbook on odds of min 1/2 (1.5), get £30 in Free Bets. Rewards valid for 30 days. SMS verification required. Only deposits via cards will qualify. T&Cs apply. |
||
PaddyPower
|
Bet £20 And Get It Back As Cash If It LosesRated #1 for Existing Customer Bonuses. New customers only. Place your FIRST bet on any market at odds of min 2.0 (EVS) and if it loses they will refund your stake in CASH. Max refund for this offer is £20. Only deposits made using cards will qualify for this promotion. T&Cs apply. |
||
Totesport
|
Bet £5 Get £20 in Free Placepot BetsRated #1 for TotePool Betting by our Team New customers online only. Place your first bet on racing pools for a minimum of £5 and win or lose you will receive £20 Placepot Tote Credit redeemable against UK & Irish Placepot bets only. Tote Credit cannot be withdrawn, exchanged, or substituted and expires after 7 days. Qualifying bet is the first racing pool bet added to the bet-slip. Ten to Follow, virtual and football bets do not qualify. UK & ROI customers only. |
3.5
Boylesports
Up To £20 In Free Bets
Ireland's largest independent bookmaker offers generous promotions and matches the best odds in the market for Horses Racing & Greyhounds.
New UK customers (Excluding NI) only. Mobile exclusive. Min Deposit £10. Min stake £10. Min odds Evs. Free bet applied on 1st settlement of any qualifying bet. 30 days to qualify. Free bets expire in 7 days. Cashed out/Free Bets won’t apply. Account & Payment method restrictions apply. 1 Free Bet offer per customer, household & IP Address only. 18+. T&Cs apply. T&Cs apply.
4
888Sport
Bet £10, Get £30 In Free Bets!+ £10 Casino Bonus
Rated #1 choice for Punters who like to bet on accumulators.
Min deposit £10. A qualifying bet is a ‘real money’ stake of at least £10. Min odds 1/2 (1.50). Free Bets credited upon qualifying bet settlement and expire after 7 days. Free Bet stakes not included in returns. Casino Bonus must be claimed within 7 days and expires after 14 days. Bonus valid on selected Casino games only. Bonus wins capped at £500, excluding Jackpot wins. You must wager Bonus amount x40 – this requirement varies by game. T&Cs apply.
5
Betfair
Bet £10 On The Sportsbook & Get £30 In Free Bets
#1 Rated Betting Exchange Bookmaker.
New Customer offer. Place a min £10 bet on the Sportsbook on odds of min 1/2 (1.5), get £30 in Free Bets. Rewards valid for 30 days. SMS verification required. Only deposits via cards will qualify. T&Cs apply.
4.5
PaddyPower
Bet £20 And Get It Back As Cash If It Loses
Rated #1 for Existing Customer Bonuses.
New customers only. Place your FIRST bet on any market at odds of min 2.0 (EVS) and if it loses they will refund your stake in CASH. Max refund for this offer is £20. Only deposits made using cards will qualify for this promotion. T&Cs apply.
3.5
Totesport
Bet £5 Get £20 in Free Placepot Bets
Rated #1 for TotePool Betting by our Team
New customers online only. Place your first bet on racing pools for a minimum of £5 and win or lose you will receive £20 Placepot Tote Credit redeemable against UK & Irish Placepot bets only. Tote Credit cannot be withdrawn, exchanged, or substituted and expires after 7 days. Qualifying bet is the first racing pool bet added to the bet-slip. Ten to Follow, virtual and football bets do not qualify. UK & ROI customers only.