The first half was a cagey affair, hardly matching the raucous energy and vibrant carnival up in the stands on a sun-soaked day. Japan, with ten men behind the ball for the vast majority of the opening 45 minutes, invited the Dutch to boss the possession and push forward. Yet there were precious few real chances as the Netherlands struggled to find holes in the packed opposition rearguard. Wesley Sneijder’s free-kick in the ninth minute soared harmlessly over Eiji Kawashima's crossbar and seconds later Dirk Kuyt tried an audacious bicycle kick from close in, well blocked by a defender. 

With Takeshi Okada's men looking to threaten on the break, the Dutch appeared reluctant to commit themselves fully forward. The result was an opening stanza that produced only two shots on goal, the first from Daisuke Matsui seven minutes before the break, as the Blue Samurai began to sharpen their blades late in the half. Rafael van der Vaart added the other in stoppage time, but it hardly had Kawashima worried. The second half began with a greater sense of purpose. With only seconds gone Robin van Persie's snapped header had Kawashima scrambling to smother and the Arsenal forward then raced into the box to volley towards goal from a long ball up from Mark van Bommel. Unfortunately, he could only steer the ball wide of the mark. 

Dutch pressure was beginning to mount, and the roar the crowd were waiting to unleash came in the 53rd minute, Sneijder ? the Inter Milan danger-man ? supplying the bullet. After Marcus Tulio Tanaka failed to deal with a cross from the left, Van Persie laid the ball off on the edge of the box and Sneijder, always looking the likely goal-getter, slammed in a shot that Kawashima, diving to his right, got a hand to but could only help on its way into the net. 

Okada's men were forced to come out of their shell after the setback, pushing forward into attack and putting pressure on a Dutch defence that had hardly had a thing to do up to that point. Japan's coach shuffled his pack just after the hour, bringing former Celtic star Shunsuke Nakamura into the fray while Van Marwijk sent on Eljero Elia ten minutes later. A further two attacking substitutes came on for Japan ? strikers Keiji Tamada and Shinji Ozakazi ? with a quarter-hour to go, and the latter nearly drew his team level on the stroke of full time, only to fire over the bar from close range to a groan from the blue section of the crowd. 

The Netherlands, with maximum points from their first two games, next play Cameroon on 24 June in Cape Town, while Japan will look to recover from this reverse when they finish their Group E programme in Rustenburg on the same day against Denmark. 

• A조 (남아공,멕시코,우루과이,프랑스)

• B조 (아르헨티나,나이지리아,대한민국,그리스)

• C조 (잉글랜드,미국,알제리,슬로베니아)

• D조 (독일,호주,세르비아,가나)

• E조 (네덜란드,덴마크,일본,카메룬)

• F조 (이탈리아,파라과이,뉴질랜드,슬로바키아)

• G조 (브라질,북한,코트디부아르,포르투칼)

• H조 (스페인,스위스,온두라스,칠레)

Cameroon coach Paul Le Guen made three changes to the side which had lost to Japan, while the Danes were boosted by the return of skipper Jon Dahl Tomasson. Samuel Eto'o was back in a central role up front, having played wide on the right in the opening game, and that switch looked like paying off as early as the fifth minute when Achille Emana teed him up for a low drive which flashed a yard wide. 

Denmark, playing in all white, had been largely anonymous in the opening few minutes, with Eto'o and Stephane Mbia prominent in a lively start by Le Guen's side. However, moments after the Cameroon captain had showed his intentions, the Danes fired a reminder that they too were desperate for the win as Rommedahl sprang Cameroon's offside trap and fizzed a shot a yard over. 

The west African side were on top, though, in the early stages, no doubt driven on by the deafening chorus of vuvezelas, which only got louder when a lapse in concentration by Christian Poulsen gifted Cameroon a 10th-minute lead. Only days after Daniel Agger's own goal had put them on the path to defeat against the Dutch, Denmark were handing out presents once again, with the blond defender laying Thomas Sorensen's clearance right into the path of the grateful Pierre Webo. He clipped a tidy cross into Eto'o and the Inter Milan striker slid the ball home with ease. 

Yet Denmark refused to be shaken in the way they had been against the Netherlands and slowly clawed their way back into the game. Twice Jesper Gronkjaer went close within the space of 60 seconds ? first rifling in a shot which was deflected out by Nicolas Nkoulou, then trying his luck with a diving header from the resulting corner. The Danes still had to be alert at the other end of the pitch and Cameroon might have restored their lead but for some less-than-impressive finishing from Emana. 

With their inspirational captain Tomasson back on board, and Bendtner clearly benefitting from a few extra days' training, the Danes grew in confidence and their pressure paid off after 33 minutes when Rommedahl set off down the right before firing an inviting ball across the face of goal which Bendtner prodded home with his right foot. The match swung from end to end as the first half reached a a thrilling climax. Rommedahl and Tomasson both tested the Cameroon rearguard, while Eto'o saw his shot clatter the post. Emana then almost finished off a dangerous burst forward, but Sorensen was equal to his chip. 

More goals seemed inevitable and Webo, a constant threat, twice went close to edging his side in front as the hour mark approached. He failed to profit, however, and was left to rue his missed opportunities when, just seconds later, the Danes raced down the other end of the pitch and took a crucial lead through Rommedahl, who curled an exquisite left-foot shot past the despairing dive of Hamidou Souleymanou. 

There was no let-up from either side as the clock ticked on. Cameroon substitute Mohamadou Idrissou missed a hat-trick of gilt-edged chances, Tomasson's tame effort was easily claimed by Souleymanou, and Emana's right-foot effort was athletically palmed away by Sorensen. Vincent Aboubakar also went close in a frantic finish but the Danes held out for a memorable win in the face of waves of late Cameroon pressure. The Indomitable Lions are out but Denmark march on to a win-or-bust encounter with Japan in Rustenburg on Thursday.