Japan

Italy edge Japan in thriller to reach semis - A late Sebastian Giovinco tap-in snatched Italy a 4-3 win over Japan...

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In a 2013 Confederations Cup match that felt more like it had the repercussions of a World Cup battle, Italy came out on top on Wednesday, besting Japan by a score of 4-3 to keep pace with Brazil at the top of the Group A table. FIFA.com had the tweet as the match ended:Fox Soccer had the post as the semifinalists from Group A were finalized:The Azzurri victory sets up a matchup between Italy and Brazil for the top spot in the Group A table, which is important because the loser will likely draw Spain in the semifinals while the other will get the second-place finisher from Group B. It also eliminates Japan, who was considered one of the dark-horse teams to make it out of the group stage and reach the later stages of the tournament. Although the Blue Samurai will be playing for pride against Mexico, they showed some of that promise early against Italy. Japan struck first—and struck the ball often—in the first half, putting pressure on the Italian defense with the talented duo of Shinji Okazaki and Shinji Kagawa. But it was Italian goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon who allowed the chance for Japan, after he was given a yellow card for a bad foul in the 21st minute. Japan, who missed several chances to score against Brazil, would not miss out on the first great opportunity of this match. Keisuke Honda beat Buffon on the penalty kick, and Japan would take a 1-0 lead. That lead would double just 12 minutes later, when Manchester United midfielder Kagawa found the back of the net on a beautiful cross from Ryoichi Maeda. With a 2-0 lead well before the first half was over, it looked like the Blue Samurai were on the verge of an upset. 101 Great Goals had the tweet as Japan gained momentum for a potential upset and a shot at the next round of the tournament:But alas, there's a reason they play a full 90-minute match. Italy realized that less than 10 minutes later, when Daniele De Rossi cut the lead in half with a header that you'll be seeing for a long time as we continue through this Confederations Cup. It was a huge play for the Azzurri, as a 2-0 deficit might have been hard to overcome the rest of the way. Things turned around quickly, though, right after the two teams came back on the pitch for the second half in Brazil. Italy took the lead by the time 52nd minute mark had reach the referee's stopwatch, as an own goal by Atsuto Uchida and a penalty kick by Mario Balotelli ended up erasing all the momentum that Japan had created during the first half of the match. As 101 Great Goals noted, the Italian star knows how to find the net on the penalty:As Italy went up 3-2, it was interesting to note that the Azzurri side hadn't played particularly well. Paolo Bandini had the tweet with the stat that summed up a disappointing give by Japan in roughly 20 minutes of the match:But Japan would come back strong in the latter portion of the second half. Okazaki's header in the 68th minute equalized the score at three, and the Japanese side was once again in business and in control of the match. As the match labored on into the final 10 minutes of action, Japan had the best chance to win in the 82nd minute. The connection of Kagawa and Okazaki managed to find iron twice with two different chances to score, and the incredibly unlucky sequence ended up proving to be enough to doom the Blue Samurai just four minutes later. Sebastian Giovinco, who came on in the 30th minute for Alberto Aquilani, made the biggest play of the match and the tournament so far by finding the back of the net with 86 minutes of the match gone. Fox Soccer had the tweet as the Italians took the stunning lead:Japan was still alive at that point, and managed to fire up more chances off the feet of Kagawa and Okazaki and the head of Yasuyuki Konno. None would ring true, and this tweet from KICK TV sums up the pain that Japan fans likely felt when a late offsides call killed another scoring chance to even it at four:Italy comes out unscathed after a lackluster first half,

• Last-four place guaranteed after seven goal thriller in Group A• Brazil also proceed into semis after beating Mexico 2-0Italy won 4-3 against Japan in a pulsating Group A game in the Confederations Cup in Brazil to put them into the semi-finals and knock out their opponents.Sebastian Giovinco scored the winning goal on 86 minutes after Japan had got back to 3-3 on 69 minutes through Shinji Okazaki. In the dying seconds Japan thought they had salvaged a draw with a close-range effort, but the goal was disallowed for offside. Italy had been behind 2-1 until Japan's Atsuto Uchida put into his own net on 50 minutes and brought the scores level.In Group A's other match, Brazil secured a place in the semi-finals as they defeated Mexico 2-0 at Estadio Castelao.Neymar scored after nine minutes and then set up Jo in stoppage time for the second goal.Brazil and Italy both have six points in the group, with Mexico and Japan on zero points.ItalyJapanConfederations CupPeter Masonguardian.co.uk © 2013 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

Italy battled from two goals down to defeat Japan in an entertaining seven goal thriller. Check in to Transfer Window: Done Deal Alerts

We have looked at lost Asian films previously, in doing the research for that list I came across many more equally interesting, well at least close to as interesting as Batman Fights Dracula. These movies represent ten more lost golden jewels form Asia we want to see but unfortunately we will be left in continued suspense probably forever. I can’t find anything about this movie but its name translates into biting ghost so… ugh a movie about biting ghosts? That came out in India. That’s all I have. Sounds interesting. A 1923 romance film written and directed by Henry MacRae The film is a romance about a young woman named Suwanna who is the object of affection for many men. In her search for true love, she has many adventures and mishaps, including overcoming her father’s disapproval, before finally finding her soul mate. There is some controversy involving an execution scene and is because of this scene it is believed the film was censored until its disappearance. Hua Jiao Shue Liu is a Chinese 1946 film not much is known about this movie either not even the director is known. But I think the story involved a couple of traders who had run in with thieves, I guess there was some anti-Japanese sentiment in this film but honestly nobody really knows. Alam Ara this was the first Indian sound movie coming out in 1931, it was directed by Ardeshir Irani. Apparently it was so popular that police aid had to be summoned to control the huge crowds. The film is a love story between a prince and a gypsy girl, the story centers on an imaginary, historical royal family in the kingdom of Kumarpur. The main characters are the king and his two warring wives Dilbahar and Navbahar. Their rivalry escalates when a fakir predicts that Navbahar will bear the king’s heir. Dilbahar, in revenge, attempts to have an affair with the kingdom’s chief minister General Adil (Prithviraj Kapoor). The affair goes sour and a vengeful Dilbahar imprisons him. The songs in the movie became instant hits but unfortunately the film was burned in an accident. (Young Miss) directed by Yasujiro ozu who has made up a good portion of the films to make up these lists. Very recently an original poster was discovered at a trade store in Japan. The film involved two lovers one of them was a very independent woman. Ozu was very progressive but he could not hold onto any of his movies at all. Bhakta Prahlada a 1931 Indian film often credited as either the first or second film to have sound. But it is the first to be in the Telugu language. The movie is based off a very famous dramatic play that has been produced thousands of times about Narasimha who is often visualized as half-man/half-lion. He is known primarily as the ‘Great Protector’ who specifically defends and protects his devotees in times of need. I think that’s what the movie dealt with but it really had a scene visualizing the god that would be cool to see. Ang Manananggal 1927 is a horror film from the Philippines possibly the first horror movie in the area. A silent movie portraying the manananggal. It was directed by Jose Nepomuceno and the cast list only has one known person, Mary Walter. The movie revolved around the mythical creature resembling a vampire but mostly female and it can detach most of its body at will. I bet the effects alone would keep me interested in this one. Directed by Fei Mu, this is a 1933 Chinese silent film telling the compelling story of a family stuck in the slums and their impossible struggle to survive and the choices they make meld who they are and where they are going. So it’s kind of like “Do the Right Thing” but in really old China slums. It was highly acclaimed upon its release for its social comments on city life. Some scenes in the film were recreated for the 1991 biographical film “Center Stage” about the life and career of Ruan Lingyu, but there rest of the movie is gone. An epic Chinese recreation of pieces of their history involving a civ

Emmy award-winning U.S. actor James Gandolfini, the star of the long-running mafia drama "The Sopranos," has died at the age of 51 in Italy, media reports said Wednesday. Gandolfini, who won three Emmys and a Golden Globe for his portrayal of mob boss Tony Soprano on the HBO series, suffered…

Manny Ramirez is set to leave his team in Taiwan before his three-month contracts ends on June 30. The former MLB superstar took his talents to the EDA Rhinos of the Chinese Professional Baseball League to try and rejuvenate his career, but he’s leaving early after a productive start. The Rhinos said in a statement that Ramirez notified the franchise on Wednesday that he will be leaving the team early and he is expected to be gone by this Friday. The decision comes after Ramirez appeared in 49 games and hit eight home runs in 206 plate appearances. Since releasing the news, many have speculated that he will now move to the Nippon Baseball League in Japan. The Japanese website Sponichi reported that the Chibba Lotte Marines of the Pacific League are interested in bringing Ramirez to their club. His original goal was to make a return to the MLB, but with no teams showing interest Manny Ramirez may have no choice but to take on Japan’s top league in hopes of getting another shot. At 41-years-old, Ramirez still believes he has the talent to play next to the top players in America, but even with his success in Taiwan there are no offers on the table. Nevertheless, his time with the EDA Rhinos brought in fans and gave a boost to baseball in Taiwan, which also produced highlights that even made their way back to the states. “Manny being Manny” was in full affect and he even produced with a .352 batting average. If he does go to Japan, Ramirez will easily get paid much more than his $25,000 a month contract in Taiwan. It wouldn’t be surprising to see the 12-time MLB All-Star playing in the Pacific League as it’s regularly considered the next best thing to the Majors. Do you think making the move to Japan will help Manny Ramirez revive his career in the MLB? [Image via Creative Commons] Manny Ramirez Leaves Team In Taiwan, Move To Japan Is Possible [Video] is a post from: The Inquisitr

Italy booked its place in the semifinals of the Confederations Cup here Wednesday with a thrilling come-from-behind 4-3 win over Japan that also sent Brazil into the last four. The Italians looked to be heading for a shock defeat after going 2-0 down to Japan midway through the first half,…

After two Confederations Cup matches on Wednesday, the top teams in Group A continued to separate themselves from the pack.Brazil once again had an impressive effort against Mexico with a 2-0 win in the early match. In the evening contest, Italy and Japan put together a fantastic show, with Italy escaping with a 4-3 victory.Here is a look at the updated standings of the two groups. Group A Team Pts GD Brazil 6 5 Italy 6 2 Mexico 0 -3 Japan 0 -4 Group B Team Pts GD Nigeria 3 5 Spain 3 1 Uruguay 0 -1 Tahiti 0 -5 Brazil 2, Mexico 0(Neymar 9', Jô 90' +3')Neymar continued to show why he is such a highly rated player with another impressive performance against Mexico.After scoring in the third minute against Japan, he slowed down a bit by needing nine minutes to get his first goal against Mexico. It was quite an impressive display on a volley with his left foot from outside of the box.Although Brazil struggled to get opportunities for the rest of the first half, Mexico did not have many more chances in the final third.In the final 45 minutes, the host squad continued to control possession until finally getting a second goal thanks to another solid effort by Neymar, who tallied an assist on the play.This performance certainly has people excited for the young player to join Barcelona next season, including ESPN:For Mexico, this is a continuation of the squad's offensive struggles that have plagued El Tri throughout World Cup qualifying. As ESPN's Paul Carr notes, it is has been a while since the team has scored:Giovani dos Santos scored on a penalty shot against Italy, but that is not quite cutting it for this squad.Still, Brazil is clearly having no such problem as it looks to win the Confederations Cup for the third time in a row. Italy 4, Japan 3(Keisuke Honda 21' PEN, Shinji Kagawa 33', Shinji Okazaki 69') (Daniele De Rossi 41', Atsuto Uchida 50' OG, Mario Balotelli 52' PEN, Sebastian Giovinco 86')This battle, which featured a fantastic effort from both sides, was one of the best international matches you will see in a long time. In the early going, Japan saw big contributions from its star players. Italian goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon was called for a foul in the box, which led to a penalty shot for Keisuke Honda. The midfielder drove the ball in to give his side the 1-0 advantage.Shinji Kagawa then showed his skill by tapping a volley past the world-class keeper to go ahead 2-0.Unfortunately, that lead did not last too long. Daniele De Rossi cut the lead in half with a score just before the half, but it was a number of mistakes by the Japanese defense that truly turned around the match.First, the squad suffered an own goal by Atsuto Uchida in the 50th minute. Then, a handball in the box allowed Mario Balotelli to give Italy a 3-2 advantage on a penalty kick.Tommy Smyth of ESPN notes how quickly things changed in this matchup:However, this back-and-forth match did not end there. Japan was once again able to get the equalizer when Shinji Okazaki headed a ball in at the 69th minute.The 3-3 score remained and it appeared as though it would end in a draw. That was until Sebastian Giovinco recorded the go-ahead goal in the 86th minute. A late offside eliminated a fourth goal for Japan, and Italy was able to hold on for the amazing victory. In the end, the Twitter account @SoccerrProblems might have said it best:Fans can only hope that the rest of the Confederations Cup can be as exciting. What's Next?The Confederations Cup continues with all of Group B in action. Spain takes on Tahiti at 3 p.m. ET in the early match before Nigeria and Uruguay battle at 6 p.m. ET.By the end of the day, we could have a very good idea of which teams will be advancing to the next stage of this tournament. Follow Rob Goldberg on Twitter for the latest updates in sports.