BLOEMFONTEIN, South Africa—The Indomitable Lions of Cameroon seemed anything but on Monday, as they fell to a much lower-ranked Japanese team that scrapped and eventually capitalized on one of the many lapses of its World Cup Group E opponent.

Japan appeared rag-tag, with errant crosses and clearings that sometimes popped straight up in the air. But the Blue Samurai were also tireless, and the relentless energy eventually paid off. Keisuke Honda scored in the 39th minute on a high cross that bounced off others and dropped at his feet in front of the goal. The bleached-blond midfielder punched the ball in to give Japan a 1-0 lead. Japan held onto the lead to win its first game of the FIFA World Cup finals in South Africa.

This is Cameroon’s sixth World Cup, including a charmed run to the 1990 quarterfinals in Italy. But since then, the Indomitable Lions have struggled to match past success and current promise. Cameroon has one of the best strikers in the world, Samuel Eto’o, who won the European Champions League with Inter Milan. He is surrounded by a strong, athletic side, which is considered one of the best in Africa.

In May, Cameroon was ranked 19th in the FIFA world rankings. Japan, by contrast, was ranked 45th.

But on a cool and clear night in Bloemfontein, the judicial capital of South Africa, Japan emerged on top where it counted: the scoreboard.

Cameroon had its chances. In the second half, the game was played mostly in Japanese territory. Defender Stephane Mbia, who came on as a substitute, cracked a shot that hit off the upper-right crossbar of the goal. Another Cameroon substitute, Pierre Webo, had a shot in front of the goal that Japan’s goalkeeper, Eiji Kawashima, stretched out to save. Mr. Kawashima saved other shots, too, punching several to safe territory.

Cameroon’s star striker, Mr. Eto’o, penetrated several times, but when he passed, his teammates couldn’t finish.

Through the match, the “boom boom boom” of drums cheered Japan on. In this noisiest of World Cups, Japan’s drums appear to have been the only instrument so far to break through the killer-bee drone of the South African “vuvuzela,” the ubiquitous plastic horn. In the second half, the Japanese drum section was directly behind the Cameroon goalie, perhaps causing him to fumble one chance (from which he quickly recovered).

When the game was over, the Blue Samurai lined up to thank the crowd. They took a bow.

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WSJ

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