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Japan wins 7-0 over China North and Central America World Cup 3rd qualifying round ‘good start’
The Japanese national team, which has the highest FIFA ranking in Asia, defeated China by a wide margin and started the third round of the 2026 North and Central America World Cup qualifiers with a comfortable victory.
Japan, led by coach Hajime Moriyasu, won 7-0 against China in the first match of Group C of the third round of the North and Central American World Cup qualifiers held at Saitama Stadium in Saitama Prefecture, Japan on the afternoon of the 5th.
Japan, who were placed in Group C with Australia, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, and Indonesia, won their first match of the third qualifying round by seven goals and earned three points.
On the other hand, China, which was aiming for a ticket to the World Cup finals, which was expanded from 32 to 48 countries, bowed its head after suffering a crushing defeat against Japan, the 'strongest team in Asia.'
Japan's FIFA ranking is 18th, the highest in Asia. Iran (20th) and Korea (23rd) are in second and third place. China is ranked 87th, well below these three teams.
Japan, which started with a number of European players such as Takefusa Kubo (Real Sociedad), Kaoru Mitoma (Brighton & Hove Albion), and Takumi Minamino (AS Monaco), took the lead just 12 minutes into the game.
Wataru Endo, a midfielder playing for the English Premier League (EPL) powerhouse Liverpool, shook the Chinese goal net with a high-scoring header from a corner kick.
Japan added another goal before the end of the first half. This time, it was Mitoma who tasted the goal. In the first half's added time, Mitoma finished with a header after Doan Ritsu (Freiburg) crossed with his left foot to make it 2-0.
In the second half, it was Japan that scored first.
In the 7th minute of the second half, Minamino followed Mitoma's forward pass from the left flank and entered the penalty box. He used his individual skills to beat a defender and then fired a right-footed shot into the corner of the opposite goal.
Minamino also completed a multi-goal in just six minutes.
Minamino, who received the ball in the penalty arc in the 13th minute of the second half, accelerated, beat three defenders, and calmly kicked it in with his right foot.
Japan joined the goal feast with winger Junya Ito (Stade Rheims), who was substituted in the 18th minute of the second half, scoring. Ito shook the net with a left-footed shot from the penalty area just 4 minutes after being substituted.
Celtic (Scotland) striker Daizen Maeda, who plays alongside Yang Hyun-jun, scored another goal in the 42nd minute of the second half. He headed in Ito's cross to score.
The player who completed Japan's great victory was Kubo. Kubo added a goal in the last minute with a cool left-footed shot in the second half of added time, frustrating China.
Meanwhile, Australia (24th), the fourth-highest FIFA ranking in Asia, suffered a shocking 0-1 defeat at home to 80th-ranked Bahrain.
Australia, who failed to score against Bahrain in the first half, suffered the misfortune of having Cushnie Yengi (Portsmouth) sent off in the 22nd minute of the second half. Australia, who were at a numerical disadvantage, collapsed in the 44th minute of the second half when Harry Sutta (Sheffield) scored an own goal.