Long-range strikes down Denmark

Keisuke Honda and Yasuhito Endo delivered the long-range missiles that sunk Denmark's FIFA World Cup dream, with two first-half free-kicks setting them up for defeat in a game they had to win to progress.

Victory would have seen Denmark join the Netherlands in the knockout phase, but they never looked like winning after going 2-0 down inside 30 minutes. Though Jon Dahl Tomasson scored with nine minutes to go to give them faint hope, substitute Shinji Okazaki added a third for Japan in the closing stages to confirm his side's superiority.

Japan were crafty and creative from the start, and it was more by luck than judgement that Thomas Sørensen's legs kept Daisuke Matsui's clip out, with Makoto Hasebe driving wide within a minute. Tomasson swiftly hit a counterblow, with his angled shot slipping through Yuji Nakazawa's legs and past goalkeeper Eiji Kawashima, but just wide.

Honda promptly trumped that, flighting a 17th-minute free-kick in from out on the right. Sørensen might have been disappointed with his positioning for that one, but he conceded with a clear conscience on 30 minutes, with Endo's effort delivered with trigonometric finesse round the Danish wall before dipping inside the keeper's right-hand post.

Luck saved Denmark further indignity just after the break as an out-of-sorts Sørensen tipped another raking Endo set-piece over his head and against the post. Fortune did not favour Morten Olsen's men at the other end, Tomasson missing the ball with the goal gaping with 20 minutes to go as they were given time, if not space, to come at Japan.

Substitute Søren Larsen turned and smashed an effort against the crossbar before a foul on Daniel Agger gave them a penalty ten minutes from time. Tomasson skidded his effort straight at Kawashima, but  managed to scuff the rebound in to equal the Danish record of 52 international goals set by Poul Nielsen. However, after some brilliant work from Honda, Okazaki had the final word.