Photo by yingtak (Flickr, some rights reserved)

The final UFWC title match of 2011 sees long-standing champions Japan travel to North Korea in one of the toughest tests of their reign. Japan have been champions for 16 games, since beating Argentina back in October 2010. Back-to-back high-scoring wins over Tajikistan (8-0 and 4-0) were impressive, but in truth far too easy for the Blue Samurai. This trip to North Korea should test the champions to their limits.

The latest victory over Tajikistan means that Japan have already achieved passage to the next stage of World Cup qualifiers. This match, also a WC qualifier, therefore has less significance. However, to relax or shift down a gear could be catastrophic in terms of their reign as unofficial football world champions. North Korea have already been eliminated from World Cup qualifying, so it can be argued that they have nothing to play for. But a history of antagonism between the two nations suggests that won’t be the case, and the North Koreans will no doubt be very keen to relieve their visitors of the UFWC title.

Japan only just managed to defeat North Korea, in Japan, in the last match between the two sides on 2 September. That game, in Saitama, saw Japan enjoy the bulk of the possession without managing to capitalise in terms of goals – until the 94nd minute, when Maya Yoshida scored with a last-gasp header from a corner kick. Japan had other chances to score, but looked fairly toothless up front. That problem seems to have been eradicated, if Japan’s 12 goals in the last two matches are anything to go by. But North Korea proved in the last match between the two that they are pretty solid at the back, and they too had chances to score. It’s unlikely to be an easy match for the Blue Samurai.

This is the first time in 22 years that Japan have played in North Korea. The Koreans won 2-0 back in 1989. A subsequent match, set to be played in Pyongyang in 2005, was moved to a neutral venue in Thailand due to security concerns. Political relations between the two nations remain extremely strained. Only around 150 Blue Samurai fans will travel to Pyongyang, and they have been warned not to stray from their official party, and not to carry Japanese flags, banners or drums. The venue, the Kim Il Sung Stadium, is named after an anti-Japanese guerilla fighter. To further unsettle the Japanese, the stadium has a plastic pitch, which few of the visiting players will appreciate.

The game against Japan in September was North Korea’s third UFWC title match, and they’ve yet to win any of them. The nation did qualify for the 2010 World Cup, but lost all three group matches. Since then, there have been mixed fortunes, beating the likes of beaten Sri Lanka, Afghanistan and Tajikistan, but losing to China, Iran and Iraq. North Korea’s last two matches were against Uzbekistan, and both were lost 1-0.

The North Korean squad includes three players who play their club football in Japan. Midfielders Ryang Yong-Gi and An Yong-Hak play for Vegalta Sendai and Kashiwa Reysol respectively, and defender Kim Song-Gi plays for Cerezo Osaka. And the star of the squad is Japanese-born striker Jong Tae-Se, who plays in Germany for VfL Bochum. Nicknamed “the People’s Rooney”, and known as Chong Tese in Japan and Germany, he was born in Japan to South Korean parents, yet holds a North Korean passport. 27-year-old Jong scored 10 in 25 games in Bundesliga 2 last season, and has scored 3 in 9 so far this season. He was involved in much of North Korea’s best play in the previous match against Japan, and was a standout performer alongside goalkeeper Ri Myong-Guk.

If you’d like to read more about Jong Tae-se and the often-secretive world of North Korean football, we covered the story in more depth in a previous post

Japan, who have been training in China at the Beijing National Stadium, are likely to line up with a very similar team to the one that comfortably beat Tajikistan. Striker Mike Havenaar was withdrawn early in the second half of that match, and may not start in Pyongyang. Alberto Zaccheroni may also take the opportunity to bring some fringe plarers into the team. But as for qualms that Japan may not take this match entirely seriously, putting their UFWC title on the line, the players seem focussed on getting a good result. Quoted in the Japan Times, defender Atsuto Uchida said, “We’ve got a game to play and as long as we’re playing, I have no intension of losing.”

Kick-off is 1600 local time, which is 0700 GMT. We’ll have a full match report here within minutes of the final whistle, and you can get live coverage via our Twitter feed @UFWC_Football.

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Match Previews japan, North Korea

Tajikistan vs Japan
Dushanbe, 11/11/11 (1400 local, 0900 GMT)

Alberto Zaccheroni’s Japan side have been training in Doha, Qatar in preparation for this UFWC title match against Tajikistan. Doha, of course, was the venue for the Blue Samurai’s Asian Cup triumph in January, and the team is still riding on a wave of glory some ten months later, still unbeaten, still UFWC champions, and on course to reach the next qualifying stage of the World Cup.

If Japan beat Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan beat North Korea, the Blue Samurai will reach the final qualifying stage with two games still to play. That would be an impressive achievement, but wouldn’t surprise anyone who has seen Japan play over the last year or so, and certainly not those who watched the devastating 8-0 thrashing of Tajikistan in the last UFWC title match / World Cup qualifier on Osaka last month.

That eight-goal rout was the biggest UFWC title match win for more than 20 years. Mike Havenaar, Shinji Okazaki, and Shinji Kagawa scored two goals each, and Yuichi Komano and Kengo Nakamura also netted in the huge win that saw Japan extend their reign as UFWC champions to 15 games. The Blue Samurai have held the title since beating Argentina on 8 October 2010.

Japan are now ranked 19th in the all-time UFWC ranking table. A win over Tajikistan would move them up to 17th place, alongside Chile and Greece. And few would bet against Zaccheroni’s dynamic team outclassing poor Tajikistan once again.

Still without Keisuke Honda, Japan will hope that influential midfielder Yasuhito Endo can overcome a groin strain. Left-back Yuto Nagatomo will miss out, and Michihiro Yasuda has been drafted in to replace him. Nakamura and Havenaar, who both impressive in the last game, should keep their places. Kagawa, in resurgent form at Borussia Dortmund, will be looking to continue to impress, the 22-year-old having been linked with a host of other top clubs in recent weeks.

As for Tajikistan, they have the benefit of home advantage, and must surely expect to fare better than they did in the last game. To be honest, they could scarcely do worse. The Tajiks had very little possession and no shots on goal in Osaka. Alimzhon Rafikov’s side will surely want to offer at least some opposition to Japan, and the coach will hope that players like Kamil Saidov and Ilkhomjon Ortikov can play with a little more purpose in this return match.

If Tajikistan could hold Japan to a draw it would be extraordinary. If they could defeat Japan, and take the UFWC title, it would be unbelievable. A Tajikistan win would be one of the biggest upsets in the history of the UFWC. Tajikistan as Unofficial Football World Champions? It couldn’t happen, could it..?

Assuming it doesn’t happen, and Japan overcome Tajikistan, the next test for the Blue Samurai will be a trip to North Korea on Tuesday. The last time the sides met, in Saitama in September, Japan won by a single last-gasp goal. Things will be tougher away from home, and North Korea will provide a different class of opposition than Tajikistan.

But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Japan need to beat Tajikistan first, and surely that can not be as easy as it was last time. There is certainly no place for complacency. A win or a draw will retain the UFWC title for the Blue Samurai. Kick-off is 2pm local time, which is 9am in London, and 6pm in Tokyo. We’ll have a full match report here within minutes of the final whistle, and you can get live coverage via our Twitter feed @UFWC_Football.

Match Previews japan, Tajikistan

Tajikistan vs Japan
Dushanbe, 11/11/11

Friday’s UFWC title match sees champions Japan again face Tajikistan. The Tajiks have been given the chance to immediately redeem themselves following the 8-0 thrashing they received in the previous match last month.

As much as the former Soviet republic would like to cause an astonishing upset, a more realistic aim would be to not lose quite so heavily. After all, Japan’s dominance in the previous encounter was absolute.

Tajikistan had just 26% of the possession and couldn’t keep the ball for more than 30 seconds at a time. Japan’s goalkeeper, Eiji Kawashima, only got his first touch in the 33rd minute.

But then again, the Tajiks never expected to be here – competing against the more skilful and successful Asian nations in the penultimate stage of qualification to the 2014 World Cup.

In the previous round of qualifying they actually suffered a humiliating 6-1 aggregate loss to Syria, but they were reinstated when FIFA ruled that the latter’s half-Syrian/half-Swedish striker George Mourad was ineligible.

And before Tajikistan were comprehensively beaten by the Japanese – the 8-0 scoreline represented their biggest ever loss – they weren’t doing that badly. In their first two group games they twice narrowly lost 1-0, at home to Uzbekistan and away in North Korea.

So, with three losses already to their name, it seems unlikely that Tajikistan will progress to the final hurdle of World Cup qualification.

They have, in fact, never made it to the World Cup finals and are yet to qualify for an Asian Cup. But this is hardly surprising considering the national team was only formed when Soviet Russia fell in the early 90s.

Their only considerable achievements have come in the AFC Challenge Cup – a tournament specifically designed for the ‘developing’ football nations in Asia. In the inaugural competition in 2006, Tajikistan lifted the trophy following a 4-0 victory over Sri Lanka. In 2008, they finished runners-up behind hosts India, and in 2010 they claimed third place. Tajikistan have made the cut for next year’s event in Nepal, and a triumphant campaign would guarantee them a spot at the 2015 Asian Cup in Australia.

But before all that, they have a World Cup qualifying group to complete. Tajikistan don’t have any star players like Makoto Hasebe and Shinji Kagawa, who will line up against them on 11 November. In fact, they don’t have any recognisable faces at all.

The squad that faced Japan in Osaka last month was made up entirely of players from the Tajik domestic league. Those most likely to threaten the Blue Samurai are midfielder Ibrahim Rabimov, who won the 2006 Challenge Cup player of the tournament at just 18, and captain Yusuf Rabiev. Rabiev is the country’s all-time highest scorer and was last season’s top finisher in the Tajik league.

Rabiev’s team, Istiqlol, won the league and cup double last season, hence the reason why their coach, Alimzhon Rafikov, was given national team duties following the departure of Pulod Kodirov after the 4-0 home defeat to Syria.

Tajikistan have yet to score under Rafikov, and this looks unlikely to change any time soon. While they technically lined up 5-4-1 in Osaka, Japan’s supremacy saw it altered to a 9-0-1 formation. Predictably, the Tajiks failed to register a shot.

However, we can all dream. If Tajikistan were to somehow grab a goal and hold out for a victory, we would surely have witnessed the greatest UFWC upset of all time.

Follow Jordan on Twitter: @JBlackwell92

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Match Previews japan, Tajikistan