(Culled from FIFA Official website) Accra, June 14, GNA - Cameroon coach Paul Le Guen could not hide his

disappointment following his side's 1-0 defeat by Japan in their Group E opener. A goal from Keisuke Honda in the 39th minute proved the differenc e between the sides at the Free State Stadium.

Le Guen had opted for an adventurous 4-3-3 formation but his side struggl ed to create any meaningful opportunities and could not break down a resolut e Japan defence. The closest they came to finding the target came five minu tes from time when Stephane Mbia's effort hit the bar, and with the talismani c Samuel Eto'o tightly marked it was a frustrating afternoon for the Africa n side.

Le Guen's aim going into the tournament had been to try and emulate the t eam of 1990 that reached the quarter-finals. However, with the Netherlands winning earlier in the day in the group, his side face an uphill struggle .. Le Guen said: "Of course I am upset that we have lost the game but our attitude was wrong. We were tense and nervous, especially in the first ha lf. We did not show what we are capable of. We were not at our level and kept

losing possession."

Japan's goal came as the result of poor defending when Cameroon failed to

cut out a cross from Daisuke Matsui. Honda reacted quickly at the back po st to finish well and Le Guen said: "My players were wrongly positioned." It was little wonder the CSKA Moscow midfielder enjoyed the moment as he celebrated his 24th birthday yesterday. Honda's star is rising as he seal ed a move to Russia at the turn of the year after playing for modest Dutch s ide VVV Venlo and he helped CSKA reach the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champio ns League.

Honda said: "I had to stay calm when the ball came to me as we have misse d chances in recent games. It is not just about me, however, we defended we ll. Our team has not had good results but we got it right when it mattered." Japan arrived in South Africa without a win in five warm-up matches, scor ing only one goal, but coach Takeshi Okada could afford a wry smile after the

game. He said: "We knew Cameroon would be physically strong and so it proved. But my players had a strong motivation to do well. They asked me before the match if they could stand with shoulders linked at the nationa l anthem. I thought it was a good idea."