# 2010 FIFA World Cup Group E

Group E of the 2010 FIFA World Cup began on 14 June and ended on 24 June 2010. The group consisted of the Netherlands, Denmark, Japan and Cameroon. None of these teams have previously met in a World Cup group stage.
Cameroon was the first team to be eliminated in the World Cup, following their 2–1 defeat by Denmark on 19 June 2010.

## Standings

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Netherlands | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 1 | +4 | 9 | Advance to knockout stage |
| 2 | Japan | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 2 | +2 | 6 | Advance to knockout stage |
| 3 | Denmark | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 6 | −3 | 3 | |
| 4 | Cameroon | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 5 | −3 | 0 | |
* Netherlands advanced to play Slovakia (runner-up of Group F) in the round of 16.
* Japan advanced to play Paraguay (winner of Group F) in the round of 16.

## Matches

All times local (UTC+2)

### Netherlands vs Denmark

| Netherlands | Denmark |
| GK | 1 | Maarten Stekelenburg |
| RB | 2 | Gregory van der Wiel |
| CB | 3 | John Heitinga |
| CB | 4 | Joris Mathijsen |
| LB | 5 | Giovanni van Bronckhorst (c) |
| CM | 6 | Mark van Bommel |
| CM | 8 | Nigel de Jong | 44' | 88' |
| RW | 7 | Dirk Kuyt |
| AM | 10 | Wesley Sneijder |
| LW | 23 | Rafael van der Vaart | | 67' |
| CF | 9 | Robin van Persie | 49' | 77' |
| Substitutions: ||
| FW | 17 | Eljero Elia | | 67' |
| MF | 20 | Ibrahim Afellay | | 77' |
| MF | 14 | Demy de Zeeuw | | 88' |
| Manager: ||
| Bert van Marwijk ||
| GK | 1 | Thomas Sørensen |
| RB | 6 | Lars Jacobsen |
| CB | 4 | Daniel Agger |
| CB | 3 | Simon Kjær | 63' |
| LB | 15 | Simon Poulsen |
| RM | 20 | Thomas Enevoldsen | | 56' |
| CM | 2 | Christian Poulsen |
| CM | 12 | Thomas Kahlenberg | | 73' |
| LM | 10 | Martin Jørgensen (c) |
| SS | 19 | Dennis Rommedahl |
| CF | 11 | Nicklas Bendtner | | 62' |
| Substitutions: ||
| MF | 8 | Jesper Grønkjær | | 56' |
| FW | 17 | Mikkel Beckmann | | 62' |
| MF | 21 | Christian Eriksen | | 73' |
| Manager: ||
| Morten Olsen ||
* Man of the Match:
* Wesley Sneijder (Netherlands)
* Assistant referees:
* Eric Dansault (France)
* Laurent Ugo (France)
* Fourth official:
* Roberto Rosetti (Italy)
* Fifth official:
* Paolo Calcagno (Italy)

### Japan vs Cameroon

On the 39th minute, from a surprising Daisuke Matsui cross from the right wing, Keisuke Honda chipped in and delivered home to give Japan the lead, a lead which Japan would successfully defend for the remainder of the match.
The win for Japan was their first World Cup win away from home soil, and it was also the first time Cameroon was defeated in a World Cup opening match. This defeat was a huge shock at the time, due to Japan's poor friendly results and their relatively unknown squad versus to that of Cameroon.
| Japan | Cameroon |
| GK | 21 | Eiji Kawashima |
| RB | 5 | Yuto Nagatomo |
| CB | 22 | Yuji Nakazawa |
| CB | 4 | Marcus Tulio Tanaka |
| LB | 3 | Yūichi Komano |
| DM | 2 | Yuki Abe | 90+1' |
| RM | 8 | Daisuke Matsui | | 69' |
| CM | 18 | Keisuke Honda |
| CM | 17 | Makoto Hasebe (c) | | 88' |
| LM | 7 | Yasuhito Endō |
| CF | 16 | Yoshito Ōkubo | | 82' |
| Substitutions: ||
| FW | 9 | Shinji Okazaki | | 69' |
| FW | 12 | Kisho Yano | | 82' |
| MF | 20 | Junichi Inamoto | | 88' |
| Manager: ||
| Takeshi Okada ||
| GK | 16 | Souleymanou Hamidou |
| RB | 19 | Stéphane Mbia |
| CB | 3 | Nicolas N'Koulou | 72' |
| CB | 5 | Sébastien Bassong |
| LB | 2 | Benoît Assou-Ekotto |
| RM | 21 | Joël Matip | | 63' |
| CM | 11 | Jean Makoun | | 75' |
| LM | 18 | Eyong Enoh |
| RW | 9 | Samuel Eto'o (c) |
| LW | 13 | Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting | | 75' |
| CF | 15 | Pierre Webó |
| Substitutions: ||
| MF | 10 | Achille Emana | | 63' |
| MF | 8 | Geremi | | 75' |
| FW | 17 | Mohammadou Idrissou | | 75' |
| Manager: ||
| Paul Le Guen ||
* Man of the Match:
* Keisuke Honda (Japan)
* Assistant referees:
* José Cardinal (Portugal)
* Bertino Miranda (Portugal)
* Fourth official:
* Óscar Ruiz (Colombia)
* Fifth official:
* Abraham González (Colombia)

### Netherlands vs Japan

The first clear chance of the game came from midfielder Wesley Sneijder when he shot over the bar from a long-range free-kick. When Japan broke up the Netherlands' passing, midfielder Daisuke Matsui was positive, helping a move that set Yuto Nagatomo up for a shot that he hit wide. The Netherlands became frustrated, as they struggled to incorporate forward Robin van Persie. Towards the end of the first half, Japan had two chances: defender Marcus Tulio Tanaka heading wide and Matsui with a powerful shot at the goalkeeper.
Throughout the second half, Van Persie managed to break free twice. In the 52 minute, as the ball came into the penalty area, the Dutch number 9 moved the ball towards Sneijder, who shot the ball powerfully towards the goal, scoring via a deflection from the goalkeeper, Eiji Kawashima. Substitute Shunsuke Nakamura later managed to make a cross into the six-yard box, which was cleared by Van Persie. Dutch substitute Eljero Elia, managed to set up Ibrahim Afellay with a one-on-one with goalkeeper Kawashima, but Kawashima prevented him from scoring a goal. One minute before the end of the game, Shinji Okazaki missed a shot from 10 yards (9.1 m); shooting over the bar. Soon after this, Yuto Nagatomo went down in the penalty area claiming a penalty, from a challenge by Dutch Nigel de Jong, but the referee turned down his appeals.
The result was the Netherlands' second win in the competition, which meant that they would progress to the knockout stage if they did not lose their last match or Cameroon did not defeat Denmark. Cameroon would later on lose to Denmark, which meant that the Dutch were through and Cameroon were out after two matches.
| Netherlands | Japan |
| GK | 1 | Maarten Stekelenburg |
| RB | 2 | Gregory van der Wiel | 36' |
| CB | 3 | John Heitinga |
| CB | 4 | Joris Mathijsen |
| LB | 5 | Giovanni van Bronckhorst (c) |
| CM | 6 | Mark van Bommel |
| CM | 8 | Nigel de Jong |
| RW | 7 | Dirk Kuyt |
| AM | 10 | Wesley Sneijder | | 83' |
| LW | 23 | Rafael van der Vaart | | 72' |
| CF | 9 | Robin van Persie | | 88' |
| Substitutions: ||
| FW | 17 | Eljero Elia | | 72' |
| MF | 20 | Ibrahim Afellay | | 83' |
| FW | 21 | Klaas-Jan Huntelaar | | 88' |
| Manager: ||
| Bert van Marwijk ||
| GK | 21 | Eiji Kawashima |
| RB | 3 | Yūichi Komano |
| CB | 22 | Yuji Nakazawa |
| CB | 4 | Marcus Tulio Tanaka |
| LB | 5 | Yuto Nagatomo |
| DM | 17 | Makoto Hasebe (c) | 77' |
| CM | 2 | Yuki Abe |
| CM | 7 | Yasuhito Endō |
| RW | 8 | Daisuke Matsui | 64' |
| LW | 16 | Yoshito Ōkubo | 77' |
| CF | 18 | Keisuke Honda |
| Substitutions: ||
| MF | 10 | Shunsuke Nakamura | 64' |
| FW | 9 | Shinji Okazaki | 77' |
| FW | 11 | Keiji Tamada | 77' |
| Manager: ||
| Takeshi Okada ||
* Man of the Match:
* Wesley Sneijder (Netherlands)
* Assistant referees:
* Ricardo Casas (Argentina)
* Hernán Maidana (Argentina)
* Fourth official:
* Martin Hansson (Sweden)
* Fifth official:
* Henrik Andrén (Sweden)

### Cameroon vs Denmark

| Cameroon | Denmark |
| GK | 16 | Souleymanou Hamidou |
| RB | 19 | Stéphane Mbia | 75' |
| CB | 3 | Nicolas N'Koulou |
| CB | 5 | Sébastien Bassong | 49' | 72' |
| LB | 2 | Benoît Assou-Ekotto |
| CM | 8 | Geremi |
| CM | 18 | Eyong Enoh | | 46' |
| RW | 6 | Alex Song |
| LW | 10 | Achille Emana |
| SS | 15 | Pierre Webó | | 78' |
| CF | 9 | Samuel Eto'o (c) |
| Substitutions: ||
| MF | 11 | Jean Makoun | | 46' |
| FW | 17 | Mohammadou Idrissou | | 72' |
| FW | 23 | Vincent Aboubakar | | 78' |
| Manager: ||
| Paul Le Guen ||
| GK | 1 | Thomas Sørensen | 86' |
| RB | 6 | Lars Jacobsen |
| CB | 3 | Simon Kjær | 87' |
| CB | 4 | Daniel Agger |
| LB | 15 | Simon Poulsen |
| CM | 2 | Christian Poulsen |
| CM | 10 | Martin Jørgensen | | 46' |
| RW | 19 | Dennis Rommedahl |
| AM | 9 | Jon Dahl Tomasson (c) | | 86' |
| LW | 8 | Jesper Grønkjær | | 67' |
| CF | 11 | Nicklas Bendtner |
| Substitutions: ||
| MF | 7 | Daniel Jensen | | 46' |
| MF | 12 | Thomas Kahlenberg | | 67' |
| MF | 14 | Jakob Poulsen | | 86' |
| Manager: ||
| Morten Olsen ||
* Man of the Match:
* Daniel Agger (Denmark)
* Assistant referees:
* Pablo Fandino (Uruguay)
* Mauricio Espinosa (Uruguay)
* Fourth official:
* Peter O'Leary (New Zealand)
* Fifth official:
* Brent Best (New Zealand)

### Denmark vs Japan

Japan opened the scoring in the 17th minute from a direct free kick taken by Keisuke Honda – only the second goal scored from a free kick in the tournament. Honda, standing to Danish keeper Thomas Sørensen's left, kicked the ball with great force; Sørensen initially moved to his left, and as the ball sailed past the wall, he shifted direction, but could not recover in time to make the save. Japan's second goal came thirteen minutes later, also from a direct free kick, this time by Yasuhito Endō. Standing outside the penalty area directly in front of the Danish goal, he curled the ball around the wall. Sørensen had been standing on the right side of his goal and could not move to his left fast enough. Endō almost scored from yet another free kick early in the second half. This time, Sørensen appeared to have difficulty judging the path of the ball, and was only able to palm it away at the last second, where it caromed off the goalpost.
Denmark needed to win this game in order to advance and increased their attacks accordingly. Late in the second half, Christian Eriksen put his shot over the goal and Søren Larsen hit the goalpost. They were finally able to score in the 82nd minute. When Makoto Hasebe was adjudged to have fouled Daniel Agger inside the penalty area, Denmark were awarded a penalty kick. Jon Dahl Tomasson took the shot, which was saved by Eiji Kawashima; the goalkeeper, however, was unable to control the rebound, which fell to Tomasson, and he was able to put it in the goal. Japan scored their final goal in the 87th minute. Honda dribbled into the penalty area, forcing Sørensen to attempt to block a potential shot, but Honda passed it to substitute Shinji Okazaki, who merely had to put the ball into an empty net.
The victory was Japan's second World Cup tournament victory on foreign soil, and only their second against a European team. Japan finished group play in second place with six points, and advanced to the knockout round for the second time in their history, and the first time on foreign soil. Denmark ended in third with three points. This was the first time Denmark failed to get past the group stage in the World Cup.
| Denmark | Japan |
| GK | 1 | Thomas Sørensen |
| RB | 6 | Lars Jacobsen |
| CB | 4 | Daniel Agger |
| CB | 13 | Per Krøldrup | 29' | 56' |
| LB | 15 | Simon Poulsen |
| DM | 2 | Christian Poulsen | 48' |
| CM | 10 | Martin Jørgensen | | 34' |
| CM | 12 | Thomas Kahlenberg | | 63' |
| AM | 9 | Jon Dahl Tomasson (c) |
| AM | 19 | Dennis Rommedahl |
| CF | 11 | Nicklas Bendtner | 66' |
| Substitutions: ||
| MF | 14 | Jakob Poulsen | | 34' |
| FW | 18 | Søren Larsen | | 56' |
| MF | 21 | Christian Eriksen | | 63' |
| Manager: ||
| Morten Olsen ||
| GK | 21 | Eiji Kawashima |
| RB | 3 | Yūichi Komano |
| CB | 22 | Yuji Nakazawa |
| CB | 4 | Marcus Tulio Tanaka |
| LB | 5 | Yuto Nagatomo | 26' |
| DM | 2 | Yuki Abe |
| CM | 8 | Daisuke Matsui | | 74' |
| CM | 7 | Yasuhito Endō | 12' | 90+1' |
| RW | 17 | Makoto Hasebe (c) |
| LW | 16 | Yoshito Ōkubo | | 88' |
| CF | 18 | Keisuke Honda |
| Substitutions: ||
| FW | 9 | Shinji Okazaki | | 74' |
| DF | 15 | Yasuyuki Konno | | 88' |
| MF | 20 | Junichi Inamoto | | 90+1' |
| Manager: ||
| Takeshi Okada ||
* Man of the Match:
* Keisuke Honda (Japan)
* Assistant referees:
* Célestin Ntagungira (Rwanda)
* Enock Molefe (South Africa)
* Fourth official:
* Martin Hansson (Sweden)
* Fifth official:
* Henrik Andrén (Sweden)

### Cameroon vs Netherlands

| Cameroon | Netherlands |
| GK | 16 | Souleymanou Hamidou |
| RB | 8 | Geremi |
| CB | 19 | Stéphane Mbia | 81' |
| CB | 3 | Nicolas N'Koulou | 25' | 73' |
| LB | 2 | Benoît Assou-Ekotto |
| CM | 14 | Aurélien Chedjou |
| CM | 7 | Landry N'Guémo |
| RW | 11 | Jean Makoun |
| LW | 12 | Gaëtan Bong | | 56' |
| CF | 9 | Samuel Eto'o (c) |
| CF | 13 | Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting | | 72' |
| Substitutions: ||
| FW | 23 | Vincent Aboubakar | | 56' |
| FW | 17 | Mohammadou Idrissou | | 72' |
| DF | 4 | Rigobert Song | | 73' |
| Manager: ||
| Paul Le Guen ||
| GK | 1 | Maarten Stekelenburg |
| RB | 12 | Khalid Boulahrouz |
| CB | 3 | John Heitinga |
| CB | 4 | Joris Mathijsen |
| LB | 5 | Giovanni van Bronckhorst (c) | 70' |
| CM | 6 | Mark van Bommel |
| CM | 8 | Nigel de Jong |
| RW | 7 | Dirk Kuyt | 17' | 66' |
| AM | 10 | Wesley Sneijder |
| LW | 23 | Rafael van der Vaart | 65' | 73' |
| CF | 9 | Robin van Persie | | 59' |
| Substitutions: ||
| FW | 21 | Klaas-Jan Huntelaar | | 59' |
| FW | 17 | Eljero Elia | | 66' |
| FW | 11 | Arjen Robben | | 73' |
| Manager: ||
| Bert van Marwijk ||
* Man of the Match:
* Robin van Persie (Netherlands)
* Assistant referees:
* Patricio Basualto (Chile)
* Francisco Mondria (Chile)
* Fourth official:
* Khalil Al Ghamdi (Saudi Arabia)
* Fifth official:
* Saleh Al Marzouqi (United Arab Emirates)