Monterrey, June 21 : Japan scored four goals in a FIFA World Cup match for the first time as the Asian side breezed past Tunisia 4-0 in the Group F match here at the Monterrey Stadium to move to the cusp of the 2026 World Cup knockout stage.
In 151 previous matches featuring AFC teams at the FIFA World Cup, no nation has ever scored four goals in a match. Japan have become the first to do so. Moreover, Japan’s win is the largest by any nation in World Cup history. It comes from the inspirational Ayase Ueda, who generated massive hang time in the air and looped a header over the Tunisia defence into the net. In addition, Ueda became the first Japanese to score two goals in a match at the FIFA World Cup. In the 1,000th match played at the FIFA World Cup, Keito Nakamura was the architect, dancing into the box and squaring across the face of the goal where Daichi Kamada was on hand to prod home through a troupe of blue and white shirts. Kamada’s fourth-minute goal is the fastest scored by a Japanese player in FIFA World Cup history. The previous quickest was Shinji Kagawa in 2018 against Colombia when he scored in the sixth minute.