Football: Daichi Kamada, Takefusa Kubo spur Japan to big win over Indonesia
SUITA (Osaka) -- Daichi Kamada netted a brace, and match-day captain Takefusa Kubo was also among the scorers Tuesday as Japan concluded their Asian World Cup qualifiers with a 6-0 thrashing of Indonesia.
The Samurai Blue, who booked their ticket to the 2026 World Cup with three matches to spare, finished on top of qualifying Group C with seven wins, two draws and one defeat.
Japan manager Hajime Moriyasu continued to experiment with his lineup after starting an untested side in Thursday's 1-0 loss to Australia, handing the captain's armband to the 24-year-old Kubo.
Crystal Palace midfielder Kamada opened the scoring at a rainy Panasonic Stadium in Suita, Osaka Prefecture, when he headed in Shunsuke Mito's cross from the left in the 15th minute.
Kubo doubled the margin with a stylish finish four minutes later, intercepting a deflected ball and chipping high into the net from close range. The Real Sociedad star set up Kamada to tap home his second in injury time, giving the Samurai Blue a 3-0 halftime lead.
After starting on the right, winger Ryoya Morishita of Polish outfit Legia Warszawa found the net early in the second half for his first international goal, which was quickly followed by a Shuto Machino strike that made it 5-0. Mao Hosoya completed the scoring off the bench in the 80th minute.
"The players' efforts led to this result," said Moriyasu, who has set the ambitious target of winning the World Cup, to be hosted by Canada, Mexico and the United States next summer.
"There is still a lot we need to learn and improve, both the players and the team as a whole."
Indonesia, coached by former Netherlands international Patrick Kluivert, finished fourth in the group with three wins, three draws and four losses.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Japan Today
an hour ago
- Japan Today
Inter Milan, Dortmund claim first wins at Club World Cup
Inter Milan came from behind to beat Urawa Red Diamonds 2-1 in Seattle soccer Inter Milan came from behind to beat Urawa Red Diamonds and knock the Japanese side out of the Club World Cup on Saturday, while Borussia Dortmund held off Mamelodi Sundowns to win a seven-goal thriller. At Lumen Field in Seattle, Ryoma Watanabe got an early opening goal for Urawa Reds, who were backed by a noisy contingent of their supporters. But captain Lautaro Martinez -- who got Inter's equaliser in their 1-1 draw with Monterrey of Mexico in their opening game -- repeated the trick to level matters with a clever overhead kick 12 minutes from time. Valentin Carboni was then the unlikely hero as he grabbed the winner two minutes into injury time. The 20-year-old Argentine had not played a competitive game since early October after suffering a serious knee injury while on loan at Marseille. Carboni had not made an appearance for Inter in over two years, but he was on to hand to sidefoot home when the ball fell to him in the area. "Our opponents play with their hearts and to counter that as a team we need to play with more pride, be humble and know how to suffer," Martinez told broadcaster DAZN after Inter were made to work for the victory. The result left Inter provisionally top of Group E on four points, one point ahead of River Plate before the Argentinian giants faced Monterrey later in Pasadena. Meanwhile a second defeat in as many matches means Urawa Reds are eliminated, and many of their supporters were in tears at full-time. "Our emotion is very bad after this game. We are out of the tournament so now we can only fight in the last game to achieve our one and only win," said their Polish coach Maciej Skorza. Earlier Jobe Bellingham got his first goal for Dortmund as his new club overcame stifling heat in Cincinnati to beat Sundowns 4-3 and move to four points from two matches in Group F. The South African champions had taken a surprise early lead through a fine solo goal from Lucas Ribeiro. However, Sundowns goalkeeper Ronwen Williams handed Dortmund their equaliser on a plate, passing the ball straight to Felix Nmecha, who stroked home. Serhou Guirassy gave Dortmund the lead with his 35th goal since the beginning of the season. English midfielder Bellingham, who this month followed older brother Jude's footsteps in joining the German side from Sunderland, started for the first time for Dortmund and made it 3-1 just before the break. Khuliso Mudau's own goal made it 4-1 before the hour mark, but Sundowns salvaged some pride by reducing the deficit through Iqraam Rayners and Lebo Mothiba. "I'm sweating like I've just come out of a sauna," said Dortmund coach Niko Kovac when asked about the conditions in a game which started at midday local time. "It was tough going for both teams, but the opposition are used to it. We certainly didn't give our best performance, but that wasn't possible today." Sundowns will still go into their final game in Group F with a chance of qualifying for the last 16. "The boys made a wonderful performance... it was a hell of a match. I'm not happy but very proud," said their Portuguese coach, Miguel Cardoso. Fluminense, who held Dortmund 0-0 in their first match, took on Ulsan of South Korea at the MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford in the other Group F game later on Saturday. © 2025 AFP
Kyodo News
4 days ago
- Kyodo News
Football: Locally produced rice funds Yokohama FC player development
KYODO NEWS - 4 hours ago - 19:40 | Sports, All, Japan Yokohama FC recently launched their annual sales of rice planted and harvested by members of the J-League first-division club, with 10 percent of the proceeds going to player development. With players from the Yokohama-based club lending a hand, the "Yokohama FC Support Rice" is produced locally to be sold online and at their home stadium at a time when soaring rice prices are squeezing household budgets across Japan. In late May, two young players tried rice planting under the guidance of local farmers. "I would be happy if our activities could help people get to know the Yokohama rice," 18-year-old defender Jui Hata said. The support rice project was first launched in 2021 in collaboration with rice wholesaler Mitsuhashi Inc. A 300-gram Yokohama FC rice pack has been sold at the stadium around twice a year. A 5-kilogram bag, currently priced at 6,000 yen ($41), became available online this year. "Meals are important for players. I eat a lot before each match," said 22-year-old midfielder Takanari Endo, who eats rice for all three meals a day. As of next year, the J-League will move the start of its season from February to August. "We can make new rice available for sale in December," Keiichiro Yamabe, head of Mitsuhashi's public relations. "We hope to see a rise in both rice production and Yokohama FC's performance." "For better or worse, rice has been a main topic of daily conversation now. Local production for local consumption is drawing a lot of attention," Yamabe said. Related coverage: Football: Japan's Moriyasu unstressed in pursuit of World Cup glory Football: Miura rewrites oldest-appearance record in 40th pro season Football: Japan need striker to develop for World Cup success: boss
Kyodo News
5 days ago
- Kyodo News
Football: Locally produced rice funds Yokohama FC player development
KYODO NEWS - 3 hours ago - 19:40 | Sports, All, Japan Yokohama FC recently launched their annual sales of rice planted and harvested by members of the J-League first-division club, with 10 percent of the proceeds going to player development. With players from the Yokohama-based club lending a hand, the "Yokohama FC Support Rice" is produced locally to be sold online and at their home stadium at a time when soaring rice prices are squeezing household budgets across Japan. In late May, two young players tried rice planting under the guidance of local farmers. "I would be happy if our activities could help people get to know the Yokohama rice," 18-year-old defender Jui Hata said. The support rice project was first launched in 2021 in collaboration with rice wholesaler Mitsuhashi Inc. A 300-gram Yokohama FC rice pack has been sold at the stadium around twice a year. A 5-kilogram bag, currently priced at 6,000 yen ($41), became available online this year. "Meals are important for players. I eat a lot before each match," said 22-year-old midfielder Takanari Endo, who eats rice for all three meals a day. As of next year, the J-League will move the start of its season from February to August. "We can make new rice available for sale in December," Keiichiro Yamabe, head of Mitsuhashi's public relations. "We hope to see a rise in both rice production and Yokohama FC's performance." "For better or worse, rice has been a main topic of daily conversation now. Local production for local consumption is drawing a lot of attention," Yamabe said. Related coverage: Football: Japan's Moriyasu unstressed in pursuit of World Cup glory Football: Miura rewrites oldest-appearance record in 40th pro season Football: Japan need striker to develop for World Cup success: boss
