AKIPRESS.COM - Japan defeated Uzbekistan 5-1 on Tuesday night and give new manager Vahid Halilhodzic the perfect start with two wins out of two, reports Japan Times.

Midfielder Toshihiro Aoyama blasted Japan into a sixth-minute lead with a long-range strike at Ajinomoto Stadium, before Shinji Okazaki doubled the advantage with a diving header in the 54th minute. Substitute Gaku Shibasaki added a third in the 80th minute, and although Uzbekistan's Sardor Rashidov managed to pull one back for the Uzbeks, Takashi Usami and Kengo Kawamata both struck late to give Japan an emphatic victory.

“It was a spectacular match,” said Halilhodzic. “Uzbekistan never gave up and they are a very good team. We stayed organized right until the end, and we scored some good goals. We had chances to score even more, and I want to say ‘bravo’ to the players.”