MONTERREY, Mexico (AP) – Japan moves one step closer to advancing to the final round world cup They defeated Tunisia 4-0 in Group F, winning their fourth title in four consecutive years and marking the 1,000th men’s match of the tournament.
Japan’s four goals were the most ever scored by Samurai Blue in a World Cup match, and they easily defeated the Tunisian team, who won the tournament for the first time in their history. fire the coach After the opening game.
Ayyo Ueda scored two goals, Daichi Kamata and Junya Ito scored, and Japan was tied with the Netherlands with four points. dutch Through two games, they have scored one goal more than Japan and are currently leading the group.
Even after taking a 2-0 lead just over 30 minutes into the match, Japan continued to put pressure on the disjointed Tunisian defense.
“If we can score as many goals as possible, it will give the team confidence,” said coach Hajime Moriyasu, the first manager to lead Japan to consecutive World Cup appearances. “That’s something we definitely want to repeat against Sweden.”
A loss for Tunisia would mean elimination from the tournament. Japan is guaranteed at least third place in their group and has a good chance of advancing to the final tournament.
Tunisia become two-time African Cup of Nations winners Hervé Renard Attempt to rescue the Carthaginian eagle humiliating 5-1 defeat However, the North African nation was unable to contain Japan’s quick attacks or create any clear chances.
“It’s important to be ready for the third game against the Netherlands,” Leonard said. “It’s not easy after two losses in two games, but we have to take responsibility and be professional until the end.”
Kamata scored the first goal in the fourth minute, the fastest in Japan’s World Cup history. The Crystal Palace midfielder, who played an active role as a “shadow striker”, found himself in the perfect position to receive Keito Nakamura’s cross and scored his second goal of the tournament without moving much.
Kamata said, “I was thinking about getting to the goal more than making the ball, so I’m glad I was able to do what I was aiming for.”
In the 31st minute, Ueda received the ball in midfield and drove into the Tunisia box. His chances of scoring looked lost after failing to pass to several forward runners, but the 27-year-old fired an angled shot from outside the box that flew into the left-hand corner of the goal to make it 2-0.
The Feyenoord striker had an excellent club season in the Netherlands, scoring 24 goals in the Eredivisie and winning the league’s top scorer award.
In the 69th minute, Ueda’s flick put Junya Ito one-on-one with Tunisian goalkeeper Aymen Damen, and he calmly scored for Japan’s third goal.
Ueda’s second goal of the night came in the 83rd minute, as his superb looping header found its way into the net, capping an impressive show for the Samurai Blue.
Japan, who have not lost for 90 minutes to a European opponent since 2019, will play Sweden in Dallas on Thursday. Tunisia will also play the Netherlands in Kansas City at the same time.
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Ethan Wilcox is a student at the University of Georgia’s Carmical Sports Media Institute.
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AP World Cup: https://apnews.com/fifa-world-cup
