Ueda double sinks Tunisia, Japan level with Netherlands in Group F

Ueda, Kamada send Japan level with Netherlands

Japan 2–0 Tunisia in Monterrey, and your team sit on four points in Group F alongside the Netherlands (1) (2) (4). Ayase Ueda scored the opener, then doubled the lead early in the second half to put the match out of reach (1) (10). Daichi Kamada pulled the strings all night. A win in the final group game and the knockout stage is within reach.

Goal-line tech says no, by a fraction

Japan were millimetres from a third. Ueda thought he had his hat-trick, putting the ball onto the line with Tunisia goalkeeper Aymen Dahmen scrambling (3) (6). Goal-line technology ruled it out. Replays show the ball sitting right on the edge, but not fully over (6). It did not matter in the end, but it was agonisingly close.

Kubo, Minamino, Mitoma all sidelined

Takefusa Kubo missed the Tunisia match through injury, a heavy blow for a side already without Takumi Minamino and Kaoru Mitoma (8). The Guardian called Kubo "the lively playmaker" and "a big loss" (8). Tomiyasu, Itakura, Ito, and Tanaka were also listed among the absentees for this one. Japan got the job done regardless.

Valencia sign Ryunosuke Sato

Valencia have signed Ryunosuke Sato, and the move is explicitly aimed at rebuilding the club's Japanese fanbase (7). AS reports that Sato is seen as the key to winning back support in Japan after years of declining visibility for the Spanish side in the country (7). No transfer fee or contract details were disclosed.

Fan-reaktioner

Reddit marked the occasion differently: Japan vs Tunisia was the 1,000th match in FIFA World Cup history. One fan traced Japan's journey from three straight losses in their 1998 debut to this moment in Monterrey. The mood online is proud, reflective, and quietly confident about what comes next.

Read the thread