In a milestone moment for the sport, Japan delivered a dominant 4-0 defeat of Tunisia in Group F on Saturday in Monterrey, Mexico — a match that marked the 1,000th game in World Cup history. Ayase Ueda scored twice, helping send the North African side home from the tournament.
Japan, managed by Hajime Moriyasu, had opened the tournament with a 2-2 draw against the Netherlands. Against Tunisia, they wasted little time getting on the board, taking the lead just four minutes in when a sharp, flowing attack saw Keito Nakamura cut the ball back to Daichi Kamada, who finished to make it 1-0.
Tunisia had already suffered a 5-1 loss to Sweden in their opening match and entered Saturday’s game under new head coach Herve Renard. They found it difficult to handle Japan’s relentless pressing and fluid movement, particularly in the Monterrey heat.
Japan nearly added a second goal in the 11th minute on a right-flank attack, but Tunisia’s Dylan Bronn managed to deflect a low cross away from Kamada. From the ensuing corner kick, goalkeeper Aymen Dahmen made a strong save, with goal-line technology confirming the ball had not fully crossed the line.
Japan continued to control the ball and create pressure, keeping Tunisia’s defense on its heels and denying Renard’s squad any chance to find a foothold in the match. The second goal came in the 31st minute when Ueda pushed toward the top of the penalty area and, with the Tunisian defenders retreating, drove a low shot into the far corner.
Tunisia had no meaningful answer, and Japan put the game out of reach in the 69th minute. A perfectly weighted pass from Kamada split the Tunisian backline, and Junya Ito sprinted through to slot the ball past Dahmen for the third goal.
Ueda wrapped up the scoring with six minutes remaining, expertly guiding a header from Kaishu Sano’s clipped far-post delivery into the top corner. With that goal, Japan became the first Asian nation to score four goals in a single World Cup match.
The victory moved Japan level with the Netherlands on four points in Group F, after the Dutch had earlier thrashed Sweden 5-1. Tunisia became the third team eliminated from the tournament, joining Haiti and Turkey on an early exit.
