Japan to call up VVV Venlo´s Honda for Bahrain match

Japan will call up Dutch league side VVV Venlo’s Keisuke Honda for an away game against Bahrain in the final qualifying round of the 2011 Asian Cup in Qatar.

“We must wait until two days before the match against Australia (in the World Cup qualifier) to call up Europe-based players,” said Japan coach Takeshi Okada after beating Yemen 2-1 in the Group A opener on Tuesday in Kumamoto.

“But we will have two games against Bahrain and Finland before Australia. Honda does not have a game to play in this period, so I’ve asked the team to let him join us for Bahrain and they okayed it. I’d like to thank them.”

It will be the first time the 22-year-old midfielder has played for his country since his debut against Bahrain in June last year during World Cup qualifying.

Honda has scored 10 goals in 20 games, making him the fifth highest scorer in the Dutch league this season.

The top two teams from each of the five groups will qualify for the Asian Cup. Iraq, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, who claimed the top three spots in the 2007 Asian Cup, along with hosts Qatar and AFC Challenge Cup winners India all get a bye to the finals.