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Japan crushed Tunisia with a resounding 4-0 this Sunday at the , during the second round of Group F of the 2026 World Cup, leaving the African team mathematically eliminated from the competition.
The match also had historic significance: it was the 1,000th meeting in the history of the World Cups, according to ESPN Mexico and other international media.
Daichi Kamada opened the scoring just four minutes in with a run down the left flank and a finish inside the box, giving Japan an early lead.
Ayase Ueda extended the lead in the 31st minute to make the score 2-0 at halftime, with Tunisia unable to respond and failing to register a single shot on goal throughout the match.
Tunisia tried to respond with two changes at the start of the second half — Gharbi for Saad and Ben Hamida for Bronn — but the Japanese pressure did not relent.
Junya Ito sealed the game in the 69th minute with the third goal, and Ueda completed his brace in the 83rd minute before being substituted one minute later.
The statistics reflected the absolute dominance of the Asians: 62% possession, 11 shots compared to just two from Tunisia, and five shots on goal against none from the African team.
Japan also made four substitutions in the second half—Suzuki (J.) for Kamada in the 73rd minute, Sugawara for Doan in the 74th, and Suzuki (Y.) and Seko for Nakamura and Tomiyasu in the 79th—to manage the result smoothly.
With the victory, in Group F —resulting from one win and one draw— and is positioned as the provisional second place, tied with Netherlands on points and goal difference (+4).
Tunisia, on the other hand, concludes its participation with zero points, one goal scored, and nine against, after also losing 5-1 to Sweden on the first matchday, leaving it with a goal difference of -8, the worst in the group.
It was the second consecutive defeat for the Tunisians, who had already suffered a thrashing against Sweden in the same stadium during the first day.
Kamada, who had already scored the equalizing goal against the Netherlands in Japan's debut, has now accumulated two goals in this World Cup and is establishing himself as one of the key offensive players for his national team.
The last matchday of Group F will take place on June 25th: Japan will face Sweden at AT&T Stadium, while the Netherlands will take on Tunisia at Arrowhead Stadium, of the teams vying for advancement.
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