Japan's head coach Takeshi Okada walks off the pitch at the end of a 2010 World Cup second round soccer match against Paraguay at Loftus Versfeld stadium in Pretoria June 29, 2010. [Agencies] |
PRETORIA, South Africa - Takeshi Okada said his work is done as the Japanese national coach after his team fell short of his goal of reaching the World Cup semifinals.
Japan was beaten in a penalty shootout by Paraguay on Tuesday after their second-round match ended 0-0 after extra time.
Asked about his future as Japan coach after the game, Okada said "I don't think I have anything left to do now."
This was the first time Japan had reached the knockout stage of a World Cup on foreign soil. Japan also reached the second round when it co-hosted the 2002 tournament.