Ronaldinho replicates the second goal from Japan's Endo. To this point in the World Cup, there had been plenty of free kicks, but few that led directly to goals or even scoring chances (unless, y'know, you count that 3rd USA goal against Slovenia). But the Japanese took it upon themselves to pick up the slack today as Honda and Endo stuck free-kick knives into the kidney of Denmark's dreams. Huge chunks of play occurred in Japan's half of the field, with the Danes holding the ball 2/3rds of the time. But you never got the sense that they believed in themselves, that they knew who to feed or how they wanted to finish. At times, it seemed like their players were all looking to the next guy to fight for the ball in the air or call for the pass. Hesitancy will kill you in the box. Japan played the opposite game. Though they handed over possession, they were a regular threat on the counter attack, and their free kick strikes were perfectly placed and gave Japan an insurmountable 2-0 lead. Denmark's GK Sorensen could be faulted for both, but I prefer to credit the kickers for putting the ball right where he wasn't. Denmark struck back when Daniel Agger took a hard fall from a soft shove to "earn" a penalty. It was an Italian move, no doubt, but I'm probably being harsh sticking quotes around that. Twitter consensus seems that it was a horrible call, but I saw a dumb defensive moment that Agger accentuated. It's one thing to shove around when there's a scrum on a corner and the ref has a million bodies to look at, but to do it out in space, when the official has his eyes right on you, is asking for trouble. That said, I don't fault anyone who blames Agger. Anyway, Tomassen couldn't hit the penalty but got his own rebound and slotted it home to cut it to 2-1. The game still felt over, though, as the Danes would need two more. Honda decided to put even that glimmer of hope to bed as he ran into the box, sent the ball around a defender, drew Sorensen, and passed to Okazaki for an open goal finish. With their ability to pick their spots and capitalize on them, Japan will be a tricky underdog for the favorites to handle. In the other game, the Netherlands and Cameroon had a friendly knockabout that the Dutch won 2-1. Van Persie got on the board, Eto'o made a penalty, and Huntelaar finished off a rebound. I feel badly for Cameroon; it would have been nice to knock off Holland even in a meaningless game. Instead, they finish behind only the French and Italians in terms of tournament disappointment. Holland will face off against Slovakia next, another game they may be able to win despite barely tapping on the gas, and Japan will play Paraguay in what should be a wide-open and exciting affair.

Wesley Sneijder doll on sale now! In the closing minutes of the game, the Dutch subs started to try hard, and they very nearly scored a 2nd goal on a couple different breakaways. Other than the start of the second half, when Wesley Sneijder sent a rocket off the hands of the Japanese keeper into the net, this was the only time you got the impression the Netherlands were applying themselves fully to the game. In leagues like the NBA, smart teams conserve energy in regular season games so they can kick it up a notch in the playoffs. Are the Dutch doing the same thing in the group stage? Because, while they've collected 6 points, you get the feeling they haven't had to leave 2nd gear to get them. Maybe they just play a casual style, but maybe there's a truly dominant performance still to come. With advancement basically in the bag, we probably won't see it until the round of 16 if it exists. Japan had a spell of possession in the second half, piling up corners and some free kicks, and there were a few moments where Dutch defenders had to make the perfect slide or fight for a head on the ball to protect their clean sheet. There was also a free shot from 8 yards out just before the end of the game, but it was sent over the bar. For the most part, that was the extent of the Japanese attack. Takeaways from the match: 1) Wesley Sneijder is as great a finisher as playmaker when he chooses to be. 2) The Dutch haven't allowed a goal yet at the tournament and seldom look threatened. 3) Japan's GK Eiji Kawashima is really good, even with the foul-up on Sneijder's shot. Smothered a couple other point-blank attempts. 4) What happened to Japanese striker Honda in the second half? Even when things picked up, he was only on the periphery. 5) As long as teams like Argentina shine brighter and teams like England suck harder, the Netherlands will continue fly under the radar. Which is just how they want it.

We learned that it's a lot easier to make mistakes than great plays. Denmark coughed up a brutal own goal thanks to the unluckily placed heads and backs of their defenders. Paraguay blew the chance to cripple Italy's dreams of a repeat when their keeper threw a drunkard's punch and allowed the ball to fall right into De Rossi's lap. We learned that Cameroon has one game plan when down a goal in the last twenty minutes: hoof the ball from midfield into the box over and over, no matter how many times your players fail to come down with the Jabulani. We learned that Italy's age is in fact a hindrance, and they'll make average squads look downright explosive, especially once play's taken out wide. We also learned that the nation of Italy has in fact produced a goalie besides Buffon but that said keeper plays with the confidence of a Steve Carell character. We learned that Japan can win on the road. We learned that you can dress like Atletico Madrid and still play quality football. We learned that Wesley Sneijder is still the best playmaking midfielder in the world, and that Dirk Kuyt is still an unimpressive player who somehow manages to put himself in the right place for easy goals too often for it to be coincidence. What else did we learn?