Japan rout Tunisia 4-0 in World Cup's 1,000th match to claim first win

Japan claimed their first win in the so-called "Group of Death," while Tunisia were eliminated from the group stage.

Japan, coached by Moriyasu Hajime, crushed Tunisia 4-0 in their Group F second-round match at Monterrey Stadium in Monterrey, Mexico, on Sunday (Korean Standard Time), with Ueda Ayase contributing two goals and an assist.

The 4-0 victory is the largest winning margin ever recorded by an Asian team in a single World Cup match. The result also made Japan the protagonists of the tournament's historic 1,000th match, and their first win of the competition moved them to the brink of the knockout stage.

The World Cup kicked off with the opening match between France and Mexico at the 1930 Uruguay tournament and reached its 23rd edition with this North America tournament. The Japan-Tunisia clash marked the milestone of the competition's 1,000th all-time match.

Having drawn 2-2 with the Netherlands in their opener, Japan moved to four points with one win and one draw to sit second in the group. The Netherlands beat Sweden 5-1 on the same day to also reach four points but claimed top spot on goal difference.

Japan seized control early, breaking the deadlock just over four minutes into the first half. Nakamura Keito drove down the left side of the penalty area and cut the ball back for Kamada Daichi, whose left-footed effort rolled into the net — the fastest goal ever scored by a Japanese player at a World Cup.

Kamada had also benefited from a fortunate deflection against the Netherlands, when a header by Ogawa Koki glanced off his own head and went in. His opener against Tunisia made it two lucky goals in as many World Cup games. KBS analyst Lee Young-pyo, commentating on the match, said, "He got lucky with that one. If he scores again, then it's real quality." JTBC analyst Park Ji-sung also said, "Kamada was fortunate."

Ueda doubled the lead in the 31st minute, threading a shot through a defender's legs to make it 2-0.

Japan showed no sign of letting up after the break. Ito Junya added a third in the 69th minute, and Ueda completed his brace in the 83rd minute to seal the 4-0 rout.

Japan were organized and dominant throughout, while Tunisia conceded far too much space and never threatened. With a place in the round of 32 looking increasingly likely, Japan's best-case scenario is to secure qualification outright with a win over Sweden in their final group match.

Tunisia, who also lost heavily to Sweden, were eliminated after two consecutive heavy defeats. "Japan were always a class above. Tunisia never looked like threatening," BBC said, adding that "Tunisia's miserable World Cup record continues."