Japan moved closer to securing a place in the World Cup knockout stage after cruising to a dominant 4-0 victory over Tunisia on Saturday in the tournament’s landmark 1,000th match.
Ayase Ueda starred with a brace, while Daichi Kamada and Junya Ito also found the net as the Blue Samurai climbed to four points in Group F alongside the Netherlands.
The defeat confirmed Tunisia’s elimination from the competition after back-to-back losses, having previously suffered a 5-1 defeat to Sweden in their opening fixture.
Japan, who shared the spoils in a thrilling 2-2 draw with the Netherlands in their first group game, controlled proceedings from start to finish at Monterrey Stadium.
For Tunisia, it was a disappointing debut for newly appointed coach Herve Renard, who took charge following the dismissal of Sabri Lamouchi in the aftermath of the heavy loss to Sweden.
The Asian side wasted little time asserting their dominance. Kamada opened the scoring in the fourth minute, applying the finishing touch to a slick move involving Ao Tanaka and Keito Nakamura.
Japan continued to threaten and nearly doubled their lead shortly afterwards, only for Dylan Bronn to produce a crucial goal-line clearance.
Goalkeeper Aymen Dahmen was also called into action, making a fine save to prevent another effort from crossing the line.
The pressure eventually paid off again in the 31st minute when Ueda capitalised on hesitant defending, driving forward before firing a powerful low strike into the bottom corner from outside the box.
Tunisia struggled to contain Japan’s fluid attacking play after the break. Ito added a third in the 69th minute, calmly finishing after being released by an incisive through pass.
Ueda completed the scoring seven minutes from time, rising highest to guide a looping header into the net and seal an emphatic victory for the Asian giants.
With the win, Japan strengthened their hopes of advancing to the last 32, while Tunisia bowed out of the tournament with one group match still to play.
