The first match of the day featured the clash for top spot in Group E as Japan took on The Netherlands in Durban at Moses Mabhida Stadium. The Clockwork Oranje versus The Samurai Blue with the winner of this match certainly assured a spot in the Round of 16.

VS.

The 1st half was basically a kick around session for The Netherlands as they dominated possession but couldn't penetrate a stacked Japan defense. Neither goalkeeper was seriously tested in the 1st half with the most dangerous threat coming in the 40th minute when Japan midfielder Daisuke Matsui's volleyed shot sailed into Dutch keeper Maarten Stekelenburg's chest for a comfortable save.

Both teams were more aggressive towards goal in the 2nd half as both sides searched for the goal that would give them control of the group. That goal came in the 53rd minute when Dutch #10, Wesley Sneijder found some space just outside the box and blasted a shot on goal. The flight of the ball was misjudged by Japan's keeper Eiji Kawashima who dove a little too far to his right as the ball deflected off his left hand and into the back of the net giving The Clockwork Oranje the 1-0 advantage.
(AP Photo/Julie Jacobson)

The Japanese increased the pressure on the Dutch goal in search of an equalizer and they almost did in the 89th minute when 2nd half substitute Shinji Okazaki got behind the Dutch defense in the box but missed high over the goal. The Japanese search for an equalizer left space for Dutch counters.

Dutch substitute Ibrahim Afellay missed two opportunities to increase the lead on breakaway chances, both times Afellay was denied by Kawashima. The whistle blew with The Netherlands taking the 3 points with a 1-0 victory. Group E play ends with simultaneous matches on the 24th as The Netherlands face Cameroon in Cape Town at Green Point Stadium while Japan play Denmark in Rustenburg at Royal Bafokeng Stadium.

Click to view FIFA's Official Match Report.

Holland vs. Japan: Match Wrap

VS.
The 2nd match of Group E featured The Samurai Blue of Japan and The Indomitable Lions of Cameroon with both sides needing a win. It was the opening match for host city Mangaung/Bloemfontein at Free State Stadium.

The first half of the match was evenly played with neither side generating any dangerous goal scoring opportunities until the 38th minute. Cameroon's Eric Choupo Moting controlled a throw-in to the box and laid off a pass for fellow midfielder Eyong Enoh who blasted a low, grass-cutting shot that was covered by Japan keeper Eiji Kawashima.

One minute later, Japan replied when midfielder Daisuke Matsui created space on the right side and centered a pass that found teammate Keisuke Honda alone on the back post. Honda controlled and blasted the ball past Cameroon keeper Hamidou Souleymanou for the 1-0 half-time lead.
(REUTERS/Adnan Abidi)

The second half started off strong for Cameroon with the best chance coming in the 49th minute when superstar striker Samuel Eto'o broke free from 3 Japanese defenders, made his way into the box and passed to open teammate Choupo Moting, whose one-time shot aimed for the upper left corner just missed.

Cameroon continued to apply pressure to the Japanese defense late in the match. In the 85th minute, midfielder Stephane Mbia blasted a long distance shot that hit the crossbar. In injury time, 2nd half substitute midfielder Geremi sent a cross into the box that found forward Pierre Webo in the 6-yard box. Webo's shot was spectacularly saved by Kawashima to preserve the 1-0 victory for Japan.
(AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)

The result is the 1st World Cup victory for Japan outside of their home nation. Japan's next match is on Saturday, the 19th when they take on The Netherlands in a battle of 1st place teams in Durban at Moses Mabhida Stadium. Cameroon faces Denmark on Saturday, the 19th in Tshwane/Pretoria at Loftus Versfeld Stadium.

Click here to view FIFA's official match report.

Japan vs.Cameroon: Match Wrap

VS.
The opening 20 minutes of the 1st half were controlled by the Dutch as they moved the ball around but couldn't quite put together anything dangerous on Danish keeper Thomas Sørensen. Their best chance came in the 10th minute when forward Dirk Kuyt blasted shot from just outside the box right at Sørensen. The keeper had the ball bounce off his chest landing behind him but he was able to reel it in and hold on to it.

Denmark settled in after those first 20 minutes or so and exerted themselves producing the most dangerous goal scoring opportunities of the first half. In the 27th minute, forward Nicklas Bendtner's header attempt went just wide of the post. Dutch keeper Maarten Stekelenburg made a big save on Denmark midfielder Thomas Kahlenberg when his shot was headed for the left corner but Stekelenburg saved to keep the game scoreless.

The 2nd half began with some bad luck for Denmark in the 46th minute. Danish defender Simon Poulsen tried to head away a cross from Dutch forward Robin Van Persie but the ball hit his Danish teammate Daniel Agger in the back and fell into the bottom corner of the goal, giving the Dutch an ugly 1-0 lead.
(REUTERS/Brian Snyder).

The Dutch controlled the match after that forcing Sørensen into a couple of tough save but the Danes couldn't keep the ball of the net for long as the ugliness of the first goal was trumped by the skill, determination, and movement of the 2nd goal.

In the 84th minute, Dutch #10 Wesley Sneijder played a beautiful through ball to teammate Eljero Elia into the box. Elia's shot was deflected by an on-rushing Sørensen but almost went in as it bounced off the far post. However, fellow Dutchman Dirk Kuyt was there to put the rebound into an empty net to give Netherlands the 2-0 lead and eventual victory.
(AP Photo/Martin Meissner)

The Dutch almost scored a 3rd goal when second half substitute Ibrahim Afellay got to the end of a cross in the box, but the ball was cleared just before crossing the goal line by the man credited with the own goal, Danish defender Simon Poulsen. The Netherlands next face Japan on the 19th in Durban at Moses Mabhida Stadium while Denmark next opponent is Cameroon on the 19th in Tshwane/Pretoria at Loftus Versfeld Stadium.

Click here to the FIFA's official match report.

Holland vs. Denmark: Match Wrap

The excitement is building as we get closer to opening match of the 2010 World Cup. The Great Tournament is less than two weeks away and the anticipation of the 1st African World Cup is building, its going to be great. Group E breakdowns finish with the Netherlands.

OFFICIAL NAME: Koninklijke Nederlandse Voetbalbond



NICKNAME: Clockwork Oranje

FIFA CONFEDERATION: UEFA (Europe)

FIFA CODE: NED

HOW THEY QUALIFIED: 1st place in Group 9 of UEFA WC qualifying

WORLD CUP APPEARANCES (INCLUDING 2010): 9

BEST WC FINISH: Runners-Up, Germany 1974 & Argentina 1978

WORLD CUP RECORD (MP: Wins - Draws - Losses): 36:16W - 10D - 10L

HEAD COACH: Bert van Marwijk

MOST CAPPED PLAYER (# of caps): Edwin van der Sar (130)

ALL-TIME GOAL SCORING LEADER (# of goals): Patrick Kluivert (40)

BRIEF FOOTBALLING HISTORY:
The Netherlands is the best footballing nation never to have won a World Cup. In back to back finals in 1974 & 1978, they had the misfortune of facing the host nation with the Jules Rimet trophy at stake. With the exception of their 1988 European Championship, the Dutch are the perennial underachievers in major senior level tournaments.

Despite Holland's lack of championships, they have been a massive contributor to football. Legendary Dutchman Rinus Michels created a tactical system that completely changed modern football, its known as Total Football. The concept of Total Football might be The Netherlands greatest contribution to the modern game.

PLAYER TO WATCH:
The Dutch always have highly skilled and talented players and this one just came off a historic season. Can Wesley Sneijder carry his form to The Clockwork Oranje?
(Roger Parker-Fotosports International)
The Dutch #10 made history by winning a treble with Inter Milan as his vision & playmaking was key for The Nerazzurri. Sneijder will be the main creator and playmaker for Holland. His vision and passing in the Dutch attack will be essential especially on a team that does not have a dominant striker.

OUTLOOK:
The Netherlands had the most impressive qualifying campaign of all the Group E teams. They dominated their WC qualifying group with a perfect record scoring 17 goals in 8 matches. The Total Football the Dutch made famous was in full effect with 11 different players scoring and as a whole only allowing 2 goals. If Holland can do the same they will make a deep run in the tournament.

FINAL 23-MAN WC ROSTER:
Goalkeepers: Sander Boschker (FC Twente), Maarten Stekelenburg (Ajax), Michel Vorm (FC Utrecht)

Defenders: Khalid Boulahrouz (Stuttgart), Edson Braafheid (Celtic), John Heitinga (Everton), Joris Mathijsen (Hamburg), Andre Ooijer (PSV Eindhoven), Giovanni van Bronckhorst (Feyenoord), Gregory van der Wiel (Ajax)

Midfielders: Ibrahim Afellay (PSV Eindhoven), Nigel de Jong (Manchester City), Demy de Zeeuw (Ajax), Stijn Schaars (AZ Alkmaar), Wesley Sneijder (Inter Milan), Mark van Bommel (Bayern Munich), Rafael van der Vaart (Real Madrid)

Forwards: Ryan Babel (Liverpool), Eljero Elia (Hamburg), Klaas Jan Huntelaar (AC Milan), Dirk Kuyt (Liverpool), Arjen Robben (Bayern Munich), Robin van Persie (Arsenal)

WC GROUP SCHEDULE:
June 14 vs. Denmark
June 19 vs. Japan
June 24 vs. Cameroon

Its off to Group F, the group with the defending World Champions.

Netherlands - WC Team Breakdown

The excitement is building as we get closer to opening match of the 2010 World Cup. The Great Tournament is less than a month away and the anticipation of the 1st African World Cup is building, its going to be great. Group E breakdowns continue with Japan.

OFFICIAL NAME: Japan Football Association



NICKNAME: Samurai Blue

FIFA CONFEDERATION: AFC (Asia)

FIFA CODE: JPN

HOW THEY QUALIFIED: 2nd place in Group A of Asian WC Qualifying

WORLD CUP APPEARANCES (INCLUDING 2010): 4

BEST WC FINISH: Round of 16, Korea/Japan 2002

WORLD CUP RECORD (MP: Wins - Draws - Losses): 10: 2W - 2D - 6L

HEAD COACH: Takeshi Okada

MOST CAPPED PLAYER (# of caps): Masami Ihara (122)

ALL-TIME GOAL SCORING LEADER (# of goals): Kunishige Kamamoto (75)

BRIEF FOOTBALLING HISTORY:
Japan's success in football has come in within the last 20 years and it has been a rapid ascent. Japan won its 1st of its 3 Asian Cups in 1992, a year after Japan's 1st division of pro football, The J-League, was established. Since then Japan has been a dominant force in Asia by advancing to at least the Asian Cup quarters every time since 1992 and qualifying for its 4th consecutive World Cup.

PLAYER TO WATCH:
They one to watch made history for a Japanese player earlier this year and is the future of Japan's midfield, he is Keisuke Honda.
(AP Photo/Shuji Kajiyama)
The CSKA Moscow midfielder made history by becoming the 1st Japanese player to take part in a UEFA Champions League quarterfinal match. He is the youngest midfielder on Japan's WC squad and provides the youth to balance with a veteran midfield. His free-kick abilities provides The Samurai Blue with an added dimension to the Japanese attack.

OUTLOOK:
The Japanese will need consistent offense in order to advance out of the group. That will be a tough task considering that their opponents in Group E all won their respective qualifying groups with excellent defensive records. Historically in World Cups, Japan has scored only 8 goals in 10 total matches. For them to make a deep run, Japan must be masterful in creating and finishing goal scoring chances.

FINAL 23-MAN WC ROSTER:
Goalkeepers: Seigo Narazaki (Nagoya Grampus), Eiji Kawashima (Kawasaki Frontale), Yoshikatsu Kawaguchi (Jubilo Iwata)

Defenders: Yuji Nakazawa (Yokohama Marinos), Marcus Tulio Tanaka (Nagoya Grampus), Yuichi Komano (Jubilo Iwata), Daiki Iwamasa (Kashima Antlers), Yasuyuki Konno (FC Tokyo), Yuto Nagatomo (FC Tokyo), Atsuto Uchida (Kashima Antlers)

Midfielders: Shunsuke Nakamura (Yokohama Marinos), Yasuhito Endo (Gamba Osaka), Kengo Nakamura (Kawasaki Frontale), Junichi Inamoto (Kawasaki Frontale), Yuki Abe (Urawa Red Diamonds), Makoto Hasebe (Wolfsburg, Germany), Keisuke Honda (CSKA Moscow, Russia), Daisuke Matsui (Grenoble, France)

Forwards: Shinji Okazaki (Shimizu S-Pulse), Keiji Tamada (Nagoya Grampus), Yasuhito Okubo (Vissel Kobe), Kisho Yano (Albirex Niigata), Takayuki Morimoto (Catania, Italy).

WC GROUP SCHEDULE:
June 14 vs. Cameroon
June 19 vs. Netherlands
June 24 vs. Denmark

The final team to breakdown for Group E teams is The Netherlands.

Japan - WC Team Breakdown

The excitement is building as we get closer to opening match of the 2010 World Cup. The Great Tournament is less than a month away and the anticipation of the 1st African World Cup is building, its going to be great. Let's now turn the focus to the only Scandinavian team in the tournament, Denmark.

Official Name: Dansk Boldspil-Union



Nickname: Danish Dynamite

FIFA Confederation: UEFA (Europe)

FIFA Code: DEN

How They Qualified: 1st place in Group 1 of UEFA WC Qualifying

World Cup Appearances (Including 2010): 4

Best WC Finish: Quarterfinals, France 1998

World Cup Record (MP: Wins - Draws - Losses): 13: 7W - 2D - 4L

Head Coach: Morten Olsen

Most Capped Player (# of caps): Peter Schmeichel (129)

All-Time Goal Scoring Leader (# of goals): Poul "Tist" Nielsen (52)

Brief Footballing History:
The Danes are one of the most under-appreciated footballing nations in the world. Whenever Denmark qualifies a tournament, they are competitive and consistently advance out of the opening stages. In the 3 previous WC they qualified for, Denmark has advanced out of the group stage and made a quarterfinal appearance in France 1998.

Denmark stunned the footballing world when they won the 1992 European Championship and cemented their place as a respected footballing nation when they beat Argentina, 2-0 to win the 1995 FIFA Confederations Cup.

Player To Watch:
The Danish player to watch is well-known in the English Premiership and is the successor to a Danish legend up top in the attack, he is Nicklas Bendtner.
(AP Photo/Hans Punz)
The Arsenal striker has a reputation in England for missing more goals than scoring but with Denmark he's been deadly. Bendtner scored 3 goals in the 4 toughest group matches during their impressive qualifying campaign and at 22-years old he is the successor at striker to current captain and Danish legend, Jon Dahl Tomasson.

Outlook:
Danish Dynamite are the most overlooked and least glamourous team in the group. However, they could be the team with the least question marks and could win this group. Coach Morten Olsen is the longest tenured coach of the World Cup teams and his knowledge of his team and their style gives Denmark a massive edge.

WC Group Schedule:
June 14 vs. Netherlands
June 19 vs. Cameroon
June 24 vs. Japan

Next up for Group E teams is Japan.

Denmark - WC Team Breakdown

The excitement is building as we get closer to opening match of the 2010 World Cup. The Great Tournament is less than a month away and the anticipation of the 1st African World Cup is building, its going to be great. Let's now turn the focus to Group E beginning with African powers, Cameroon.

Official Name: Fédération Camerounaise de Football



Nickname: Les Lions Indomptables (The Indomitable Lions)

FIFA Confederation: CAF (Africa)

FIFA Code: CAM

How They Qualified: 1st place in Group A of African WC Qualifying

World Cup Appearances (Including 2010): 6

Best WC Finish: Quarterfinals, Italy 1990

World Cup Record (MP: Wins - Draws - Losses): 17: 4W - 7D - 6L

Head Coach: Paul Le Guen

Most Capped Player (# of caps): Rigobert Song (133)

All-Time Goal Scoring Leader (# of goals): Samuel Eto'o (44)

Brief Footballing History:
On the national team level, no nation has done more to raise the profile of African soccer than Cameroon. The Indomitable Lions have qualified for more World Cups than any other African nation. Cameroon was the 1st African team to advance to a WC quarterfinals and only of 1 of 2 African nations to have an Olympic gold medal.

In Africa, they are the 4-time African Cup of Nations champions and 6 ACN final match appearances. Cameroon has headlines on the pitch for the play and for their innovative kits. Cameroon have taken the field with sleeveless jerseys and one-piece kits in the past and those jersey controversies have made Cameroon's kits one of the the most recognizable on the planet.

Player To Watch:
Samuel Eto'o is the superstar of Cameroon so he will attract a lot of attention but Cameroon's problem has always been defense and the player to watch is defensive minded, he is Stéphane Mbia.

Photo by Emery Taisne © Lequipe
The 24-year old defensive player is coming off a Ligue 1 championship season with French side, Olympique Marseille. Mbia was an integral part of Marseille defense showing his versatility by playing center back. He will probably play as a defensive midfielder with Cameroon and he will be counted on to cancel out the opposition's best offensive midfielder player.

Outlook:
One of the biggest concerns for Cameroon will be who will be the creative spark from the midfield. Cameroon doesn't have a consistent creator to link the defensive midfield to the strikers. The other concern is who will be the other goal scorer to take pressure off of Samuel Eto'o. If Cameroon can get productive, consistency from the offensive half of their team, they can make another quarterfinal run.

WC Group Schedule:
June 14 vs. Japan
June 19 vs. Denmark
June 24 vs. Netherlands

Next up for Group E teams is Denmark.

Cameroon - WC Team Breakdown

The frechman Paul Le Guen announced the 30-man for the world cup. The African squad will by led by striker Samuel Eto, added to the experience and talent of Espanyol goalkeeper Kameni, Emana y Webo.

The coach has called up on veterans like Geremi and Rigobert Song, and left out Marsella midfielder Stephane Mbia y Burnley defender Andre Bikey.

Goalkeepers:
Guy Roland N'Dy Assembe (Valenciennes)
Idriss Carlos Kameni (Espanyol/Spain)
Hamidou Souleymanou (Kayserispor)
Patrick Tignyemb (Bloemfontein Celtic).

Defenders:
Patrick Abouna (Astres Douala)
Benoit Assou Ekotto (Tottenham Hotspur)
Sebastien Bassong (Tottenham Hotspur)
Gaetan Bong (Valenciennes)
Aurelien Chedjou (Lille)
Geremi (Ankaragucu)
Boukar Makadji (Al Nahdha)
Nicolas Nkoulou (Monaco)
Rigobert Song (Trabzonspor)

Midfielders:
Achille Emaná (REAL BETIS)
Enoh Eyong (Ajax Amsterdam)
Jean Makoun (Olympique Lyon)
Georges Mandjeck (Kaiserslautern)
Joel Matip (Schalke 04)
Patrick Mevoungou (Canon Yaounde)
Marcel Ndjeng (Augsburg)
Landry Nguemo (Celtic)
Alexandre Song (Arsenal).

Forwards:
Vincent Aboubakar (Coton Sport)
Eric Choupo-Mating (Nuremburg)
Paul Alo'o Efoulou (Nancy)
Samuel Eto'o (Inter Milan)
Mohamadou Idrissou (Friburgo)
Dorge Kouemaha (Club Bruges)
Achille Webo (Real Mallorca/Spain)
Jacques Zoua (Basilea)

Cameroon World Cup List

Japan coach Takeshi Okada decided to go with experience this time around as he announced his 23-man squad for South Africa.

As expected the nucleus of the team will consist of its European-based players such as Catania's Takayuki Morimoto, Wolfburg's Makoto Hasebe, Grenoble's Daisuke Matsui, and CSKA Moscow's Keisuke Honda.

Former Celtic man, and current Yokohama Marinos star Shunsuke Nakamura gets the nod as well.
In goal Okada has a great deal of experience as Seigo Narazaki will go to this fourth World Cup and Yoshikatsu Kawaguchi will return to the national team for his third tour with the Samurai Blue.

Out of the callup was Argentine-born Urawa Red Diamonds forward Sergio Escudero who many consider one of the young stars of the J-League. His teammate, midfielder Yuki Abe, was the lone Red
Diamond called up by Okada for World Cup duty.

Japan will begin their quest to qualify out of the group stages in a very difficult Group E against Cameroon, then they will face World Cup dark horse Holland, and end their participation against Denmark.

Goalkeepers: Seigo Narazaki (Nagoya Grampus), Eiji Kawashima (Kawasaki Frontale), Yoshikatsu Kawaguchi (Jubilo Iwata)

Defenders: Yuji Nakazawa (Yokohama Marinos), Marcus Tulio Tanaka (Nagoya Grampus), Yuichi Komano (Jubilo Iwata), Daiki Iwamasa (Kashima Antlers), Yasuyuki Konno (FC Tokyo), Yuto Nagatomo (FC Tokyo), Atsuto Uchida (Kashima Antlers)

Midfielders: Shunsuke Nakamura (Yokohama Marinos), Yasuhito Endo (Gamba Osaka), Kengo Nakamura (Kawasaki Frontale), Junichi Inamoto (Kawasaki Frontale), Yuki Abe (Urawa Red Diamonds), Makoto Hasebe (Wolfsburg/GER), Keisuke Honda (CSKA Moscow/RUS), Daisuke Matsui (Grenoble/FRA)

Forwards: Shinji Okazaki (Shimizu S-Pulse), Keiji Tamada (Nagoya Grampus), Yasuhito Okubo (Vissel Kobe), Kisho Yano (Albirex Niigata), Takayuki Morimoto (Catania/ITA)

Okada announces Japan World Cup squad

Holland head coach Lambertus Van Marwijk has announced the 26-man training squad for the world cup. The former Feynoord and Borussia Dortmund manager has opted not to call Arjen Robben, Mark van Bommel and Wesley Sneijder to allow them to remain in their club prior to the UEFA Champions League final next month. The final 30-man roster will be released on May 11th.

List:

Sander Boschker (FC Twente), Maarten Stekelenburg (Ajax), Piet Velthuizen (Vitesse), Michel Vorm (FC Utrecht); Khalid Boulahrouz (Stuttgart), Joris Mathijsen (Hamburg), Andre Ooijer (PSV Eindhoven), Giovanni van Bronckhorst (Feyenoord), Gregory van der Wiel (Ajax), Ron Vlaar (Feyenoord); Ibrahim Afellay (PSV Eindhoven), Vurnon Anita (Ajax), Otman Bakkal (PSV Eindhoven), Edson Braafheid (Celtic), Wout Brama (FC Twente), Demy de Zeeuw (Ajax), Orlando Engelaar (PSV Eindhoven), John Heitinga (Everton), Nigel de Jong (Manchester City), Stijn Schaars (AZ Alkmaar), David Mendes da Silva (AZ Alkmaar); Ryan Babel (Liverpool), Eljero Elia (Hamburg), Dirk Kuyt (Liverpool), Robin van Persie (Arsenal), Jeremain Lens (AZ Alkmaar).

However the biggest absent from this list is the veteran striker Ruud van Nistelrooy. The former Real Madrid striker has announced his retirement from International competition after the 2008 Euro Cup; however he made himself available for international selection in hopes to play his “last” world cup.

Van Nistelrooy had left Real Madrid early this year to join Hamburg in order to get more minutes. Four goals in 10 matches were not enough to convince Van Marwijk to take him to the world cup.

Van Nistelrooy played 64 matches with Holland and scored 33 goals. He played his first international tournament with Holland in 2004 (Euro Cup), since they had failed to qualify for the 2002 FIFA World Cup. In 2006 he played his first World cup under head coach Marco van Basten; he started every match with the exception of the round of 16 match in which they were eliminated against Portugal. His last International match was against Russia in the Euro 2008 quarterfinals, despite scoring the equalizer Holland was defeated 3-1.

Van Nistelrooy is added to the list of high profile players who will be absent in the 2010 World Cup, other names like Kevin Kuranyi, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Andriy Schevchenko, David Beckham, Michael Owen and Roman Pavlyuchenko will be absent from the tournament as well.

Ruud Van Nistelrooy left out of Holland 26-man training squad