7M - Tunisia 0-4 Japan: Ayase Ueda hits brace as Samurai Blue crush Herve Renard's side in historic 1,000th World Cup match

Japan pushed themselves closer to the Round of 32 and eliminated Tunisia from the FIFA World Cup 2026 after inflicting a commanding 4-0 defeat at the Monterrey Stadium in Group F.

The milestone fixture, marking the 1,000th match in World Cup history, started in dream fashion for Hajime Moriyasu's side as they opened the scoring inside four minutes. Keito Nakamura danced into the penalty box and delivered a low cross to Daichi Kamada, who prodded the ball home to register the fastest goal scored by a Japanese player in tournament history.

Tunisia goalkeeper Aymen Dahmen, who replaced Abdelmouhib Chamakh in the starting lineup, then made an unbelievable reflex save to deny Takehiro Tomiyasu from close range, clawing the ball off the goal line. However, Japan doubled their advantage in the 31st minute when Ayase Ueda drove toward the penalty box and unleashed a powerful strike into the bottom-left corner.

Tunisia, who became the first team in World Cup history to change their coach after just one matchday by replacing Sabri Lamouchi with managerial veteran Herve Renard following a 5-1 loss to Sweden, struggled to find any rhythm. Their brightest moment came early in the second half when Hannibal Mejbri made an incisive run across the six-yard box, but Japan defender Ko Itakura made a vital touch to clear the danger.

The Samurai Blue extended their lead in the 69th minute. Ueda turned provider by delivering a deft flick into the path of Junya Ito, who rushed through to slot a composed finish beyond Dahmen.

Ueda rounded off the emphatic victory in the 83rd minute by rising strongly to meet a perfect cross from Kaishu Sano, powering a fine looping header into the back of the net.

The heavy defeat saw Tunisia join Haiti and Turkiye as the teams eliminated from the tournament after two matchdays, while Japan moved level with the Netherlands at the top of Group F.