MONTERREY, Mexico, June 21 (ePRESS) – Japan celebrated the 1,000th match in FIFA World Cup history in style with a dominant 4-0 victory over Tunisia on Saturday, as striker Ayase Ueda scored twice to eliminate the North Africans from the tournament and keep the Samurai Blue firmly on course for the knockout stage.
Hajime Moriyasu’s side wasted little time in taking control at Estadio Monterrey. Japan struck after only four minutes when Keito Nakamura’s cut-back found Daichi Kamada, who calmly slotted home to give his side an early lead.
Japan continued to pour forward and nearly doubled their advantage seven minutes later. Tunisia defender Dylan Bronn was forced to intervene to stop Kamada from scoring again, while goalkeeper Aymen Dahmen produced an excellent save from the resulting corner, with goal-line technology confirming the ball had not crossed the line.
The Asian side dominated possession throughout the first half, pressing aggressively and denying Tunisia any chance to settle into the match.
Their superiority was rewarded again in the 31st minute when Ueda advanced towards the edge of the penalty area before drilling a low shot into the far corner to make it 2-0.
Tunisia struggled to create meaningful chances and rarely threatened the Japanese defence.
Japan sealed the victory in the 69th minute when Kamada split open the Tunisian backline with a precise pass, allowing Junya Ito to race clear and finish confidently past Dahmen.
Ueda completed the rout six minutes from time. The striker met Kaishu Sano’s floated cross at the far post and powered a superb header into the top corner for his second goal of the match.
The victory saw Japan become the first Asian nation to score four goals in a FIFA World Cup match.
Japan moved level with the Netherlands on four points in Group F after the Dutch hammered Sweden 5-1 earlier in the day. Tunisia, meanwhile, became the third team to be eliminated from the tournament after Haiti and Turkey.
Ueda’s clinical double and Japan’s relentless attacking display underlined their growing status as one of the most dangerous sides in the competition. (ePRESS)
