Ayase Ueda scores twice in Japan’s 4-0 win against Tunisia in 1,000th men's World Cup match

Ayase Ueda scored twice, along with Daichi Kamada and Junya Itō to put Japan level with the Netherlands on four points. The Dutch are currently on top of the group due to having scored one more goal than Japan across its two matches.

Even after leading 2-0 just over half an hour into the match, Japan continued to apply pressure to a disjointed Tunisian defense.

“If we are able to get as many goals as possible, that would give the team confidence,” said Hajime Moriyasu, the first head coach to lead Japan at consecutive World Cups. “That is something we would definitely want to repeat against Sweden.”

The loss for Tunisia means it is eliminated from the tournament. Japan is guaranteed at least third in the group, which could be enough to advance to the knockout stages.

Tunisia appointed two-time Africa Cup of Nations winner Hervé Renard to try and rescue the Eagles of Carthage after its humiliating 5-1 loss to Sweden, but the North African nation could not contain Japan’s speedy attack nor create any clear chances of their own.

“It is important to get ready to fight for this third game against the Netherlands,” Renard said. “It’s never easy after two losses in two games, but we must take our responsibilities and be professionals to the very end.”

Kamada opened the scoring in the fourth minute, the fastest in Japan’s World Cup history. The Crystal Palace midfielder, who acted as a “shadow striker”, was perfectly positioned for Keito Nakamura’s cross and barely had to move to tap in his second goal of the tournament.

“I was thinking more about getting in front of the goal than actually creating, so I’m glad I was able to do what I was aiming for,” Kamada said.

In the 31st minute, Ueda received the ball in the midfield and drove toward the Tunisia box. When he opted not to pass to a few advancing runners, any chance of a goal seemed lost — but the 27-year-old fired an angled shot from outside the box which flew into the left corner of the goal to make it 2-0.

The Feyenoord striker had an impressive club season in the Netherlands, scoring 24 goals in the Eredivisie to earn the league’s top scorer award.

In the 69th minute, Ueda’s flick put Junya Itō into a one-on-one with Tunisia’s goalkeeper Aymen Dahmen, which he slotted calmly for Japan’s third goal.

Ueda’s second of the night came in the 83rd minute, when his masterful looping header floated into the net to cap off an impressive showing for the Samurai Blue.

Japan, which has not lost to a European opponent in 90 minutes since 2019, will play against Sweden in Dallas on Thursday. Tunisia will play the Netherlands in Kansas City at the same time.

Ethan Wilcox is a student in the University of Georgia’s Carmical Sports Media Institute.

AP World Cup: https://apnews.com/fifa-world-cup