Japan defeated Tunisia 4-0 in a Group F World Cup match at Estadio BBVA in Monterrey, Mexico, on June 20, marking the 1,000th World Cup match played [1, 2, 3]. Ayase Ueda scored twice and assisted once, while Daichi Kamada and Junya Ito also found the net for Japan [1, 2, 3]. Kamada, who recently played mostly as a defensive midfielder, was moved up to a shadow striker role for this match and scored an early goal [1, 3]. Coach Hajime Moriyasu said, "Daichi has mostly been deployed as a defensive midfielder recently, but considering our current team situation, we had him shift to the shadow striker position today" [1].
Japan became the first Asian team to score four goals in a single World Cup match, demonstrating a dominant performance with 62.1% possession and 11 shots attempted compared to Tunisia's 2 [1, 2, 3]. Japan and the Netherlands both have four points in Group F, with the Netherlands leading on goal difference [1, 2, 3]. Tunisia, coached by Herve Renard for the first time after firing their previous coach following a 5-1 loss to Sweden, was eliminated after losing all three group matches [1, 2, 3]. Moriyasu noted that Tunisia had changed coaches, making their style unpredictable, but said, "the players prepared well, and the coaches instilled the playing model so that the players could play with confidence" [3].
The win sparked celebrations in Japan, with fans gathering at Tokyo's Shibuya Crossing to mark the victory [4]. Ueda said, "I’m genuinely happy. It feels as if what I’ve built since feeling that frustration four years ago paid off" [1]. Moriyasu also reflected on the milestone, saying, "It was the thousandth World Cup match, a commemorative game watched by people around the world, and I’m glad we managed to win it" [1].
Japan can secure qualification for the knockout stage with a win over Sweden in their final group match, with first place still possible depending on other results [3].
