Japan marked the 1,000th match in FIFA World Cup history in emphatic fashion, sweeping aside Tunisia 4-0 to secure a landmark victory that sent the North Africans crashing out of the tournament.
The Blue Samurai delivered a dominant display in Monterrey, with Daichi Kamada opening the scoring after just six minutes, Japan’s fastest-ever goal at a World Cup, before Ayase Ueda doubled the advantage on the half-hour mark.
Tunisia, under newly appointed coach Hervé Renard, struggled to mount a response as Japan tightened their grip on the contest. Junya Ito added a third midway through the second half after being set up by Ueda, who later completed his brace to cap a one-sided encounter.
The victory sees Japan move level on points with the Netherlands at the top of Group F, while Tunisia become one of the first teams eliminated from the expanded 2026 tournament.
Japan coach Hajime Moriyasu praised his players for executing the game plan to perfection and credited the strong Japanese support in Monterrey for helping inspire the performance.
Beyond the result, the match will be remembered as a historic milestone for the tournament itself, with Japan ensuring the 1,000th World Cup fixture became a memorable chapter in their own football story.
