Ghana striker Matthew Amoah got their third goal, but could not prevent defeat

Ghana's Black Stars, freshly qualified for the 2010 World Cup, went down 4-3 to fellow finalists Japan on Wednesday.

Milovan Rajevac's side took a 2-0 lead thanks to a brace from striker Asamoah Gyan, including one from the penalty spot.

Kengo Nakamura pulled one back for Japan in the 54th minute.

A strike from Dutch-based star Matthew Amoah then gave Ghana a 3-1 lead - but Japan fought back with three goals in 13 minutes to win the game.

Japan then stunned the Black Stars in the final 13 minutes with goals from Marcus Tulio Tanaka, Shinji Okazaki and Junichi Inamoto.

The game was played in Utrecht in the Netherlands, with a morning kick-off to accommodate Japanese television.

It came just a few days after Ghana secured their place in South Africa 2010, with victory over Sudan in Accra on Sunday.

The Black Stars have two remaining qualifying games, against Benin and Mali, but cannot be caught at the top of Group D.

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