Japan, led by head coach Moriyasu Hajime, won 2-0 in an A-match friendly match against Tunisia (29th in FIFA rankings) at Noeveer Stadium Kobe in Kobe, Hyogo Prefecture, Japan, at 7:10 p.m. on the 17th.
With this, Japan has won six consecutive A matches. Japan sank against El Salvador (6-0) and Peru (4-1), Germany (4-1) and Turkiye (4-2) in September, and Canada (4-1) this month.
Japan, which showed a “post-Asian level” mode enough to score more than four goals in five consecutive games before the match, had to be satisfied with two goals on the day. However, his winning streak raised expectations for the second qualifying round for the 2026 North-Central American World Cup in November as well as the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup in January next year. 토토사이트
On the other hand, Tunisia, which lost on the day, ended its away match in Asia with two consecutive losses following the match against Korea (0-4 loss). Just like the match against Korea, Tunisia exposed its weaknesses that the defense camp collapsed for a moment.
Japan put Kyogo Furuhashi at the forefront and placed Hatate Leo, Takefusa Kubo and Junya Ito in the second line. The midfield was left to Hideyoshi Morita and Wataru Endo, while Yuta Nakayama, Takehiro Tomiyasu, Go Itakura and Yukinari Sugwara came out as four-back defenders. The goalkeeper gloves were worn by Suzuki Zion. Compared to the starter against Canada on the 13th, all but Junya Ito, Endo, Nakayama, and Tomiyasu have changed.
Tunisia, on the other hand, changed five players compared to the match against Korea. Winger Elias Ashri, who appeared in the match against Korea, as well as Elise Skiri and Isa Laiduni of the midfield, were left intact. The three-back defense also remained unchanged, with Ali Abdi, Montasar Talbi, and Yasinemeria. Instead, goalkeeper Aymen Damen, Isam Jeziri, Mohamed Ben Romdhane and Wazdi Ketsrida are new starters.
Japan, which took the lead from the start of the game, led with Furuhashi’s first goal in the first half. In the 43rd minute of the first half, Furuhashi got a one-on-one situation with the goalkeeper in front of the box after receiving a forward pass from Gubo through the defense. And he finished with his right foot in a relaxed manner.
Japan, which led 1-0 in the first half, drove Tunisia further in the second half. Junya Ito scored an additional goal in the 24th minute of the second half. Gubo, who broke through the left, gave up to Junya Ito, who was rushing. Junya Ito, who was free without defense, accurately aimed for the gap with his right foot with his running elasticity.
Tunisia, which failed to shoot once during the first half, saw an opportunity through forward pressure. However, it has rarely provided an opportunity for a reversal in Japan’s build-up with technology. He attempted several counterattacks, but failed to produce results. The shooting was also overwhelmed 4-18.
