Substitute Ayase Ueda stooped to head home in the fourth minute of second-half stoppage time to share the spoils in Osaka. Former Newcastle attacker Miguel Almiron opened the scoring for Paraguay midway through the first half before Koki Ogawa equalised for Japan five minutes later.

Brighton's Diego Gomez scored a 64th-minute header for Paraguay, who took the sixth and final direct World Cup spot in South American qualifying. Paraguay now head to Seoul to face South Korea in another friendly on Tuesday while Japan take on Brazil in Tokyo the same day.

Japan were missing several regulars through injury, including Brighton winger Kaoru Mitoma and Liverpool midfielder Wataru Endo. Almiron, now playing for Atlanta United in Major League Soccer, spurned a golden chance to give Paraguay the lead when he squared the ball instead of shooting when clean through on goal.

He made amends just a minute later when he gave his side the lead, jumping to control a ball over the Japanese defence before lashing it home with his left foot. Japan equalised five minutes later when Ogawa hit a powerful shot that Paraguay goalkeeper Roberto Fernandez parried high into the air, only to see the ball drop back down over the line and in.

Japan's Takumi Minamino put the ball in the Paraguay net minutes into the second half but it was ruled out for offside. Instead it was Paraguay who went in front when Juan Caceres picked out Gomez to flick a header past Japan goalkeeper Zion Suzuki. Ueda came on minutes before full-time and saved Japan when he got on the end of a late cross into the box.

M. Almirón

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