Japan beat Uzbekistan 1-0 to qualify for World Cup, June 2008, photo by tpower1978, Flickr

Uzbekistan vs Japan
Pakhtakor Markaziy Stadium,
Tashkent
6 September 2011,
1900 local (1500 BST)

On Tuesday, UFWC champions Japan will attempt to defend their title against new challengers Uzbekistan in a UFWC title match / WC qualifier. Japan have now gone 12 games unbeaten as champions, and narrowly defeated North Korea courtesy of an injury time Maya Yoshida header in the last title match on Friday. This away match is likely to be a trickier test. An impressive Asian Cup performance means that Uzbekistan are hardly an unknown quantity. But they are newcomers to the UFWC, so what can Japan expect from the latest challengers?

Part of the former Soviet Union, the land-locked country borders with Kazakhstan, Afghanistan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. Independence was claimed in 1991. Capital city Tashkent is 3,700 miles west of Tokyo. So it’s a huge journey for the Japanese team. Could that have a bearing on the result?

Uzbekistan has never participated in the UFWC before, although if you follow the UFWC spin-offs you’ll know that the county did hold the unofficial Asian title going into January’s Asian Cup – a tournament that was, of course, won by Japan. The Uzbeks did pretty well in Qatar, beating the hosts 2-0, and Kuwait 3-0, then drawing 2-2 with China to top their group. A 2-1 win over Jordan saw the side progress to the semi-final stage, only to be thrashed 6-0 by a very impressive Australia. The Uzbeks lost 3-2 to South Korea in the third place play-off, and so finished fourth overall.

Since then, the Uzbeks have been beaten by Montenegro, Ukraine and China. However, the nation’s last three matches have all been victories – a 4-0 and a 3-0 against Kyrgyzstan in the previous round of WC qualifying, and then, in Friday’s group match, a 1-0 win over Tajikistan. There was trouble ahead of the match in Tajikistan as crowds of fans attempted to break through a police cordon in order to gain admittance to the sold-out arena in Tursunzade. The match wasn’t being shown on TV in deference to a political summit, and fans were desperate to see the game.

Uzbekistan and Japan have met seven times before, with five wins for Japan, and two draws. Japan fans may recall their side’s 8-1 victory over Uzbekistan – the Uzbeks’ biggest ever loss – in October 2000. The last meeting, in Tashkent in June 2009, was another World Cup Qualifier. Japan won 1-0 to clinch qualification, with Shinji Okazaki scoring the goal. So Uzbekistan has never beaten Japan. Could this be the first time?

The Uzbek coach is Vadim Abramov, who took over the reigns last year after five years as assistant. Veteran striker Maksim Shatskikh is the nation’s all-time top scorer with 34 goals. The 33-year-old Arsenal Kyiv player scored the only goal against Tajikistan on Friday – netting a rebound after having a penalty kick saved.

Japan will also need to be aware of Suwon Bluewings attacking midfielder Alexander Geynrikh, who was the Uzbek’s top scorer at the Asian Cup. Defensive midfielder Odil Ahmedov, of FC Anzhi, can get forward and score goals, and team captain Server Djeparov of Al-Shabab is another midfielder with an eye for goal.

As for Japan, we can expect Alberto Zaccheroni to pick a similar team to the one that defeated North Korea, still without the injured Keisuke Honda, and with Yosuke Kashiwagi replacing him behind Tadanari Lee. Chikashi Masuda has been added to the squad since Friday to provide extra cover in midfield. Striker Mike Havenaar, who made his debut from the bench on Friday, will hope to get another run out.

The match kicks off at 7pm local time, which is 3pm in London and 11pm in Tokyo. As usual, we’ll be providing full coverage right here.

You can also watch a free and legal live stream of the match via Bet365, subject to restrictions in your country. Just click on the link below. You’ll need to create an account if you don’t already have one, but you don’t need to make a bet. If you do open an account and decide to make a deposit of £10 or more, you’ll be entitled to up to £200 in free bets.

So, can Japan retain the UFWC title? Twelve matches unbeaten is a remarkable record, and the win against North Korea pushed the team into the all-time top 20 UFWC rankings. A win against Uzbekistan would extend the run to 13 games, and push Japan clear of Colombia and Romania in the rankings. But the trip to Uzbekistan will not be an easy one. Can Uzbekistan make a name for themselves in world soccer and become Unofficial Football World Champions? All that is certain is that another exciting UFWC title match awaits.

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Match Previews japan, Uzbekistan

Japan vs North Korea
Saitama Stadium 2002, Saitama
2 September 2011
Kick-off 19:20 local (11:20 BST)

Unofficial Football World Champions Japan resume the defence of their title, and begin their qualification campaign for the 2014 World Cup, with this match against North Korea.

Alongside Japan and North Korea in Asian Qualifying Group C are Uzbekistan and Tajikistan. The latter were only instated last week following the disqualification of Syria, who were found to have fielded an ineligible player in both legs of their knock-out qualification tie between the two nations.

Japan will go into the match against North Korea as strong favourites. One more title match win will push Japan into the top 20 in the UFWC all-time rankings. The North Koreans, meanwhile, have only ever played in two UFWC title matches, and have never held the title. However, Japan coach Alberto Zaccheroni has made it clear that North Korea will be no pushovers. “We shall never make the mistake of underestimating our opponents,” he said. “North Korea are fierce and so mentally tough that they don’t give up.”

Like Japan, North Korea qualified for the 2010 World Cup, although they lost all three group matches. This year, the side also went out of the 2011 Asian Cup at the group stage, drawing 0-0 with the United Arab Emirates, and losing 1-0 to both Iran and Iraq. Since then, North Korea has recorded wins against Sri Lanka, Nepal and Afghanistan, and drawn with Kuwait, but lost 2-0 to the more challenging opposition of China.

Japan, of course, are unbeaten in eleven UFWC games, since taking the title from Argentina in October. That run, of course, includes the nation’s Asian Cup victory in January. Most recently, on 10 August, Japan impressively defeated South Korea 3-0.

For the North Korea and Uzbekistan matches, Zaccheroni has called up 20-year-old Urawa Red Diamonds striker Genki Haraguchi for the first time, and has recalled midfielder Kengo Nakamura after longstanding injury problems. Inter Milan defender Yuto Nagatomo misses out after suffering his own injury problems. Nagatomo hasn’t yet played for Inter this season following a shoulder injury.

Once again, the Japan squad relies heavily on Europe-based players. 12 squad members play for European teams, most notably Shinji Kagawa of Borussia Dortmund, Keisuke Honda of CSKA Moscow, Makoto Hasebe of Wolfsburg and Eiji Kawashima of Lierse.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, there is little news coming out of North Korea ahead of the match. We looked at the often secretive world of North Korean football in a previous post. Although we don’t yet have details of Yun Jong-Su’s squad, we expect it to include captain and striker Hong Yong-Jo of Korean league champions April 25, midfielders Ryang Yong-Gi and An Yong-Hak, both of whom play in Japan, and defender Cha Jong-Hyok, who plays in Switzerland for FC Wil.

The squad should also include Jong Tae-se, “the People’s Rooney”, known as Chong Tese in Germany, where he plays for Vfl Bochum. A striker, Jong scored 10 goals in 25 games in 2.Bundesliga last season. However, he hasn’t started any of Bochum’s six games so far this season, making only one appearance from the bench.

Should Japan retain the UFWC title against North Korea on Friday, their next defence will be against Uzbekistan on Tuesday. If North Korea take the title, they’ll make their first defence against Tajikistan, also on Tuesday. As always, we’ll have full coverage of all the UFWC title matches right here.

Japan squad: Goalkeepers: Eiji Kawashima (Lierse SK), Shusaku Nishikawa (Sanfrecce Hiroshima), Shuichi Gonda (FC Tokyo); Defenders: Yuichi Komano (Jubilo Iwata), Yasuyuki Konno (FC Tokyo), Yuzo Kurihara (Yokohama F. Marinos), Masahiko Inoha (Hajduk Split), Tomoaki Makino (1FC Koln), Atsuto Uchida (FC Shalke 04), Maya Yoshida (VVV Venlo); Midfielders: Yasuhito Endo (Gamba Osaka), Kengo Nakamura (Kawasaki Frontale), Yuki Abe (Leicester City), Makoto Hasebe (VfL Wolfsburg), Hajime Hosogai (FC Augsburg), Yosuke Kashiwagi (Urawa Reds); Forwards: Tadanari Lee (Sanfrecce Hiroshima), Shinji Okazaki (VfB Stuttgart), Keisuke Hodna (CSKA Moscow), Takayuki Morimoto (Novara), Shinji Kagawa (Borussia Dortmund), Hiroshi Kiyotake (Cerezo Osaka), Genki Haraguchi (Urawa Reds)

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Match Previews japan, North Korea

Japan vs North Korea
Saitama Stadium 2002, Saitama
2 September 2011
Kick-off 19:20 local (11:20 BST)

Having seen off South Korea with an impressive 3-0 win, the next challenge for Unofficial Football World Champions Japan comes from the northern half of the Korean Peninsula.

North Korea, often referred to in soccer competition as Korea DPR, are pretty much an unknown quantity to even the most dedicated follower of world football, with little that goes on within the highly secretive country made known to outsiders. So what do we know about the UFWC challengers?

First let’s clear up any confusion regarding the name. We’re using North Korea, the most commonly used Western name for the country. Its full name is the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, and the country is usually referred to as Korea DPR by FIFA. If you want to be pedantic, the country’s official name is Choson-minjujuui-inmin-konghwaguk, but we’ll stick with North Korea.

The country has only ever played in two UFWC matches, and never held the title. The first match took place at the 1966 World Cup – North Korea’s most fondly-remembered football tournament, at which they famously beat Italy 1-0. However, the UFWC match, against the Soviet Union in Middlesbrough, ended in a 3-0 defeat. North Korea’s next UFWC appearance was 28 years later, in 1994, when they drew 2-2 with then-champions Colombia in a friendly match in Monterrey.

More recently, North Korea qualified for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, only to lose all three group matches. The team did play reasonably well in a 2-1 defeat to Brazil, but were less impressive in a 7-0 defeat to Portugal. At the 2011 Asian Cup in January, North Korea drew 0-0 with the United Arab Emirates, and lost 1-0 to both Iran and Iraq. Since then, the team has beaten Sri Lanka, Nepal and Afghanistan, but lost 2-0 to the more challenging opposition of China. The country’s last result was a 0-0 draw with Kuwait on 10 August.

The vast majority of North Korea’s squad members play in the country’s domestic league, a competition that appears to be as confusing and insular as the country itself. The DPR Korea League contains ten teams, and is contested over three rounds, with the clubs divided into three classes. The 2010 “Highest Class Football League” was won by the Korean People’s Army team April 25 (also known as 4.25 Sports Team), which supplied five players to the last national squad.

The unorthodox nature of the domestic competition, coupled with the Korea Football Association’s reluctance to comply with FIFA’s transfer policies, means that North Korean club teams are ineligible to play in continental club competitions, such as the AFC President’s Cup, and therefore rarely face opposition from outside the country.

A handful of North Korean internationals do play for foreign clubs. Midfielders Ryang Yong-Gi and An Yong-Hak should be known to Japan fans, as they play for J. League Division 1 sides Vegalta Sendai and Kashiwa Reysol respectively. Defender Cha Jong-Hyok and 18-year-old striker Pak Kwang-Ryong play in Switzerland, for FC Wil and FC Basel. Team captain and striker Hong Yong-Jo played for three seasons at FC Rostov in Russia, before returning to North Korea last season with April 25.

Perhaps the most interesting member of the North Korean squad is striker Jong Tae-se, nicknamed “the People’s Rooney”, and known as Chong Tese in Japan and his current home of Germany. Jong was born in Japan to South Korean parents, and studied – and played football – at a Toyko’s Korea University, an institution funded by Chongryon, a group that represents North Koreans in Japan. He subsequently decided to apply for North Korean citizenship, and was awarded a North Korean passport. However, as South Korea does not officially recognise North Korea as a country, Jong was unable to complete the citizenship process, and curiously remains a South Korean citizen with a North Korean passport.

Jong, or Chong Tese, played for four seasons in Japan at Kawasaki Frontale, where he scored 47 goals in 115 appearances. He scored four goals on his international debut, appeared at the 2010 World Cup, and subsequently won a move to VfL Bochum in Germany. Jong scored 10 in 25 in Bundesliga second division last season. Internationally, he’s scored 15 goals in 28 appearances for North Korea.

Now 27, Jong certainly looks to be North Korea’s danger man, and should be worth keeping an eye on during the national anthems – he’s apparently prone to bursting into tears during “The Patriotic Song”.

Head to head, Japan and Korea have played 15 times. Japan have won 6, North Korea have won 5 and there have been 4 draws. The last match between the two nations, in Chongqing in February 2008, ended as a 1-1 draw.

In addition to being a UFWC title match, Japan vs North Korea is also the first 2014 World Cup Asian Qualifiers for both sides. Both received a bye to this third round group stage. They’re in Group C alongside Uzbekistan and Syria. The top two teams in the group will progress to the next qualification round, one step closer to Brazil 2014. But right now the UFWC title is up for grabs. Can Japan continue their reign as title holders, or will North Korea become one of history’s least likely Unofficial Football World Champions?

You can follow Paul Brown on Twitter: @paulbrownUK

Match Previews japan, North Korea