FRANCE 98 – Match Summary n°47

Japan coach Takeshi Okada announced that he would quit after a 2-1 defeat by Jamaica sent his side home from their first World Cup finals without a point.

” I will quit, “ Okada said after watching his side sunk by Theodore Whitmore’s double. ” When a coach fails to achieve what he sets out to do, he has to take decisive action. ” It is entirely my responsibility that we did not win a match that could have been won or take at least a draw from it, “ Okada said.

The Japanese coach’s contract expires at the end of July but the country’s football bosses have previously appeared ready to extend it until the 2000 Olympics after the side’s impressive performances against Croatia and Argentina in their earlier group matches.

Masashi Nakayama pulled a goal back for the Japanese a quarter of an hour from the end but despite intense pressure and the fervent backing of more than 30,000 supporters in Lyon’s Stade Gerland, they were unable to snatch what would have been a deserved equaliser. It was a frustrating way for the co-hosts of the 2002 World Cup to conclude their first finals appearance. But they only had themselves to blame after squandering chance after chance earlier in the game.

Jamaica’s Rene Simoes paid tribute to the way Japan performed overall in France. ” Japan has absolutely nothing to be ashamed of. They can be proud of the way they played here. They will have learned many lessons that will help them in the future and they can look forward to 2002, “ he said.

Whitmore put Jamaica ahead five minutes before half-time against the run of play. Running on to a knock-down from Wimbledon striker Marcus Gayle, he beat Japanese keeper Yoshikatsu Kawaguchi with the help of a deflection off defender Naoki Soma.

The 25-year-old midfielder made it two nine minutes after the break. After breaking clear on the right, he cut inside Norio Omura and fired a left-foot shot into the corner. Brazilian-born substitute Wagner Lopes’ header across the Jamaican goal gave Nakayama an easy finish for Japan’s first World Cup goal in the 74th minute.

But the forward’s joy will have been tempered by the knowledge that he should have claimed the historic goal a quarter of an hour earlier when all he had to do was to tap in the rebound from a Lopes shot. Instead he tried to dribbled round Aaron Lawrence and gave Christopher Dawes the chance to clear.

Two other great chances had gone begging in the two minute period after Jamaica scored their second. Full back Akira Narahashi made a great run to get on the end of Nanami’s cross only to see his volley rebound off the Jamaican post. A minute later striker Shoji Jo, who had missed a hatful of first-half chances, failed to hit the target from 16 yards.

It had all started so promisingly for the Japanese with a move out of defence finishing with Hiroshi Nanami firing just over with barely a minute played. Another sweeping attack finished with Jo volleying Hidetoshi Nakata’s cross wide in the 10th minute.

As the Jamaicans settled they began to come more in to the match and skipper Ian Goodison had the ball in the back of the Japanese net after 16 minutes only to see his header ruled out because of pushing in the six-yard box. Kawaguchi then had to make a good save to deny Whitmore’s 22nd minute shot.

Nanami should have put Japan ahead six minutes later. Jo robbed Frank Sinclair, burst into the box and slipped an inviting ball sideways only to see Nanami blast his left-foot drive wildly over the top from 16 yards. A minute before Whitmore put Jamaica ahead, Naoki Soma’s knock-down header found Jo free on the six-yard line. But the big striker opted to try and control it on his thigh instead of striking first time and Goodison grabbed hs chance to clear.

Jo squandered another chance just two minutes from the break, heading over from just eight yards out.