Japan coach Alberto Zaccheroni received both good and bad news Sunday, with the Italian learning Yuto Nagatomo had made a miraculous return from a knee injury but Keisuke Honda left after one half due to pain in his thigh.
Inter Milan's Nagatomo had been sidelined since April 14 because of a torn meniscus in his left knee, and it was initially thought he would have season-ending surgery which would have ruled him out for Japan's two World Cup qualifiers in June and the Confederations Cup.
Nagatomo, however, rolled the dice and opted for non-surgical treatment which just may have succeeded, after playing the full 90 minutes on the left wing for Inter in a 0-0 away draw to Genoa on Sunday.
In the Russian Premier League, Honda was substituted at halftime in CSKA Moscow's 4-1 win at Lokomotiv Moscow after starting on the right side of midfield.