Football: Japan to face Tunisia in Oct. friendly in Kobe

Japan will host Tunisia in an international friendly match on Oct. 17 at Noevir Stadium in Kobe, the Japan Football Association announced Monday. The Samurai Blue, 20th in the FIFA rankings, will take on the 31st-ranked Tunisia who won the last encounter between the two nations 3-0 in June last year in Osaka. That remains Japan's only defeat against the northern Africans to date after they won all four of their previous meetings, including a 2-0 win in the 2002 World Cup group stage. "We played them last year as well and Tunisia are physically tough, their attacking players have pace with clin...