Tunisia 0-4 Japan: Ayase Ueda double sparkles in historic World Cup rout
Ayase Ueda scored twice and set up another as Japan thrashed Tunisia 4-0 in the World Cup’s 1,000th match, eliminating the North Africans from Group F.
A devastating, fluid attacking masterclass from Japan saw them cruise to a 4-0 victory over a beleaguered Tunisia at Estadio Monterrey, marking the 1,000th match in World Cup history in style.
Hajime Moriyasu’s side simply blew their opponents away with a display built on relentlessly high intensity and pinpoint efficiency, ensuring they join the Netherlands on four points at the summit of Group F. For Tunisia, however, the heavy defeat brings a premature and painful end to their campaign, making them the third team officially eliminated from the tournament.
The North Africans had drafted in legendary manager Hervé Renard earlier in the week in a desperate bid to spark a reaction after their opening 5-1 thrashing by Sweden. But any hopes of a new-manager bounce were ruthlessly extinguished within just four minutes.
The brilliant Keito Nakamura danced down the left flank, skipping inside the box past a static defense before sliding an enticing low cross into the six-yard box. Daichi Kamada reacted first, bundling the ball home to secure his second of the tournament and write his name into national folklore by scoring Japan’s fastest-ever goal in World Cup history.
Tunisia struggled to find any answers to the rapid movement of the Samurai Blue, offering only fleeting moments on the counter through midfielder Hannibal Mejbri. While newly promoted Tunisian goalkeeper Aymen Dahmen produced a stellar save to keep out a Takehiro Tomiyasu effort, there was nothing he could do to stop the onslaught on the half-hour mark.
Ayase Ueda was allowed far too much freedom on the edge of the penalty area, comfortably turning his defender before unleashing a wicked, low strike that flew past Dahmen’s outstretched hand into the bottom-left corner.
Any lingering hopes of a Tunisian fightback were entirely killed off midway through the second half. Turning provider, Feyenoord forward Ueda showed sublime vision to loft a perfectly weighted through ball into the path of Junya Ito, who calmly slotted a first-time finish into the corner.
The rampant Japanese team were not done yet, putting the final gloss on a historic evening in the 83rd minute. Substitute Kaishu Sano delivered an deep, arching cross to the back post, where an unmarked Ueda timed his jump perfectly to plant a looping header back across goal and into the top corner.
The emphatic result means Japan head into their final group-stage clash with Sweden full of momentum and requiring just a point to ensure qualification. Tunisia, by contrast, are left facing a dead rubber against the Netherlands, with Renard handed a massive rebuilding job for a side that has shipped nine goals in just two matches.
