HIROSHIMA -- Another day, another facile victory against another substandard team. Japan cruised to a 3-1 victory over the United Arab Emirates in the Kirin Challenge 2000 at Hiroshima's Big Arch on Wednesday, though quite where the challenge was meant to come from was difficult to see.

It certainly wasn't from Henri Michel's transitional UAE team. One would have hoped the Japanese players would challenge themselves, even in a friendly match, but with few exceptions (Naohiro Takahara, Junichi Inamoto), that wasn't the case. This was even more surprising considering the fans' reaction the last time Japan hosted the UAE. The 1997 World Cup qualifier ended 1-1 and sparked a riot at Tokyo's National Stadium as fans reacted angrily to another awful performance.

Perhaps for the 32,402 fans, the challenge was merely staying awake -- or merely staying.

For Japan coach Philippe Troussier, it was an opportunity to test a few potential players for the upcoming Olympics and Asian Cup. It was Japan's last scheduled game before the Asian Cup, but the team had a decidedly Olympic flavor with an average age of just under 24. Troussier, however, was satisfied with the outcome of the match.

"It was a good victory," he said. "We were able to control the game from beginning to end. It was good for us to sustain our level of confidence and to create a positive atmosphere around the team."

The Frenchman added that it was not always easy to get the team working together. "You don't have the same time that you have with a club team," he noted. "So it takes a bit more time to make it work, but I can tell that our players have good intentions and potential, so I'm not too worried that not everything worked out in today's game."

Troussier opted for the double-loon attacking pair of Akinori Nishizawa and local hero Tatsuhiko Kubo. Nishizawa was rumored to be on trial for an Olympic over-age place, but the Cerezo forward had a nightmare first half and was replaced at the break. No Australian visa necessary there then.

The remaining potential over-age players -- Seigo Narazaki, Toshihiro Hattori and Ryuzo Morioka -- all performed satisfactorily, but overall the team lacked punch.

Cerezo star midfielder Hiroaki Morishima latched onto a flick from Kubo to nod the first goal in on the 11-minute mark, and after the Marinos' Shunsuke Nakamura was hauled down after 25 minutes by Fahed Masoud Ali Masoud, the Yokohama man couldn't believe his luck when UAE goalkeeper Mutaz Abdulla Mohammed let the resultant free kick go straight through his hands for the second goal.

The addition of Takahara and Atsushi Yanagisawa up front for the second half added a little punch to the attack, but the lamentable Daisuke Oku replaced an out-of-sorts Shinji Ono and linked up with the equally ineffective Shigeyoshi Mochizuki and the midfield lost all sense of direction.

Hattori's volley from a Nakamura corner momentarily inspired the subdued crowd and Takahara's bustling enthusiasm deserved a goal, but the second half just seemed to plod on endlessly, lowlighted by Oku's 30-meter attempt on goal. Sorry, that's Oku's attempt to shoot 30 meters over the goal.

Somehow, the last three minutes provided two more goals. Even more freakishly, it was Oku who got Japan's third after Takahara gifted him the opportunity with a classy cutback in the penalty area.

The Emirates got on the scoresheet in the last minute after substitute Atsuhiro Miura brought down Abdul Raheem Jumma Anbar 20 meters in front of goal. Juma Saeed Hamad curled in a sweet free kick that Narazaki couldn't get near. It didn't mean much and many fans missed the last two goals after opting to take the early train home.

With performances like this, that could be Japan's fate in the Olympics and Asian Cup.