6 Feb 2009

Japan not going to back down to the Socceroos

11:55 am on 6 February 2009

The Celtic football star Shunsuke Nakamura is vowing to do what's needed when Japan take on Australia in a crunch World Cup qualifier at home next week.

In Group A, Australia lead the table with a perfect nine points, Japan are in second place with seven points and Qatar have four points, while Bahrain and Uzbekistan have one point each.

Nakamura says he remembers well how Japan lost to Australia 3-1 at the group stage in the 2006 World Cup finals, when all the Socceroo goals came in the final nine minutes.

He says that will never happen again.

The 30-year-old midfielder says he doesn't mid if Japan have to get ugly as they go for three points.