Substitute Takuma Nishimura equalized with his first touch to give Japan a 1-1 draw with Uruguay in an international friendly at Tokyo's National Stadium on Friday, as the Samurai Blue played for the first time since the World Cup in Qatar.
Uruguay captain and Real Madrid star Federico Valverde headed in the 38th-minute opener in front of 61,855 on a rainy night in the Japanese capital before Yokohama F. Marinos forward Nishimura answered in the 75th minute, slotting home fellow substitute Junya Ito's cross from the right wing.
After stunning the world by grabbing 2-1 comeback wins over Germany and Spain to reach the knockout phase in Qatar, Hajime Moriyasu's 20th-ranked Japan showed promise but had to settle for a draw against a new-look No. 16 Uruguay side.