Osaka, June 14: Three World Cup-bound teams won friendly matches in Asia on Tuesday, with Tunisia beating Japan 3-0, Ghana defeating Chile 3-1 on penalties following a 0-0 draw, and South Korea topping Egypt 4-1.
Tunisia went ahead on a penalty by Mohamed Ali Ben Romdhane in the 55th minute. Ferjani Sassi scored in the 76th and Issam Jebali added the other three minutes into stoppage time in Osaka.
The victory allowed Tunisia to claim the Kirin Challenge Cup. Last week, Tunisia defeated Chile 2-0 to advance to the match against Japan. The host Japanese beat Ghana 4-1. Those matches were played in the western city of Kobe.
Japan has also qualified for the World Cup, which opens on November 21 in Qatar. It was Japan’s third preparation match for the World Cup in eight days. The national team lost to Brazil 1-0 on June 6 at the National Stadium on a 77th-minute penalty by Neymar. (AP)
