In the World Cup Football match at Bloemfontein today, Japan defeated Cameroon One-Nil. Keisuke Honda scored the all-important goal in the 39th minute. The Group E encounter at the Free State Stadium saw intense competition. Although Japan came under increasing pressure in the second half, the Asian side foiled Cameroon's bids for an equaliser and maintained the lead till the end. Earlier, the Netherlands launched their World Cup campaign with a 2-0 victory over a fighting Denmark. In their Group E opener in Johannesburg, the Netherlands rode on a huge slice of luck to go into the lead barely a minute after the interval, courtesy a self goal from Denmark's Jakob Poulsen. The goal came in the 46th minute. The Dutch sealed the fate of their opponents in the 85th minute, scoring their second goal, capitalising on a defensive lapse. The goal-bound move was initiated by Eljero Elia whose 10-yard shot was tipped to the post by the Denmark custodian Thomas Sorensen. Off the rebound, Kuyt tapped in from close. At midnight tonight, Italy face Paraguay in Cape Town in Group 'F'.