Football: Japan, Ecuador end friendly in scoreless stalemate

Japan and Ecuador finished their World Cup warm-up match in Dusseldorf without a goal Tuesday after both sides spurned chances to win.The friendly at Dusseldorf-Arena was Japan's last international before the selection of the 26-man Samurai Blue squad for the Nov. 20 to Dec. 18 World Cup in Qatar.Goalkeeper Daniel Schmidt staked a strong claim to Japan's No. 1 jersey with a number of key saves, including an 83rd-minute penalty kick from Enner Valencia.The Sint-Truiden shot stopper dived to his right to keep Japan level after Shogo Taniguchi conceded the penalty with a clumsy challenge at th…READ FULL ARTICLE