22 goals in 5 games’ Japan defeats ‘2026 WC host country’ Canada 4-1 in home → 5 consecutive wins in A match

 Japan’s national soccer team displayed its firepower in an evaluation match against Canada, the host country of the 2023 North and Central America World Cup, and achieved its fifth consecutive win in international matches.

Japan scored three goals in the first half and won 4-1 in an evaluation match against Canada held at Denka Big Swan Stadium in Niigata, Japan on the 13th (Korean time).

For the October international match period, Japan, ranked 19th in the FIFA rankings, invited Canada, ranked 44th, and Tunisia, ranked 29th. The Tunisia match will also be played at home in Japan, and Tunisia will face the Korean national soccer team led by Jurgen Klinsmann at the Seoul World Cup Stadium on the 13th and then travel to Japan for an evaluation match on the 17th.

Japan will face Canada as their first opponent in the October international match. Although Canada, a powerhouse in North and Central America, has a lower FIFA ranking than Japan, it is one of the host countries for the 2026 North and Central American World Cup, which will be held together with the United States and Mexico in three years. is listening to

Japan used 4-3-3. Keisuke Osako wore the goalkeeper’s gloves, and Yuta Nakayama, Koki Machida, Takehiro Tomiyasu, and Seiya Maikuma formed the back four. The midfield was comprised of Ao Tanaka, Wataru Endo, and Junya Ito, and the top three positions were Keito Nakamura, Takuma Asano, and Takumi Minamino.

Canada stood at 3-5-2. Milan Borjan guarded the goal, and Kamal Miller, Derek Cornelius, and Alistair Johnstone formed the back three. Alphonso Davis, Jonathan Osorio, Samuel Piet, Ismael Kone, and Rich Lareia were deployed in the midfield, while Jonathan David and Kyle Raelyn aimed at the Japanese goal at the front line.

Japan succeeded in taking the lead by scoring the first goal two minutes into the game. Canada was unable to properly clear Maikuma’s cross from the right side, and the ball was headed towards Tanaka. Tanaka shot immediately, and Tanaka’s shot passed through the goalkeeper and hit the net, leading to the first goal.

Japan, gaining momentum, continued to push Canada. In the 6th minute of the first half, Ito attempted to score an additional goal by receiving a cross and shooting, but goalkeeper Borjan easily caught it as the shot did not have enough power.

Canada had a chance to equalize in the 18th minute of the first half. Canadian ace Davis fell into the hands of goalkeeper Osako while breaking through the penalty box, and the referee, seeing this, immediately declared a penalty kick. Even though video review (VAR) was activated and the referee went outside the touch line and re-checked the scene on the monitor, the decision was not overturned.

David, who is playing for LOSC Lille in the French Ligue 1, played as a kicker. David is a striker who scored a whopping 24 goals in the league last season and is receiving a lot of attention from big European clubs.

However, David missed a golden opportunity to tie the score when he missed a penalty kick. David aimed a shot into his right corner, which goalkeeper Osako read correctly and made up for his mistake by blocking it with his left arm.

By blocking the penalty kick, Japan continued to dominate the game. In the 25th minute of the first half, Nakamura attempted a header shot on a cross from the right side, but the shot was not made properly due to interference from the defender and was not effective. At this time, coach Hajime Moriyasu, who was on the bench, tried to ask the referee for a penalty kick, but it was not accepted.

In the 27th minute of the first half, Japan received a free kick opportunity. From a position slightly away from the box, Nakamura aimed to shoot directly with his right foot, but Nakamura’s right-footed free kick hit the goal post, making Japanese fans sigh.

In the 38th minute of the first half, during a Japanese counterattack, Minamino’s right-footed shot that entered the box after receiving Nakamura’s penetration pass missed the goal line and did not result in an effective shot. Immediately afterwards, Japan added one more goal, increasing the score to 2-0.

Japan’s additional goal was none other than Canada’s own goal. In the 38th minute of the first half, Asano’s low cross from the left side passed right past Minamino’s feet in the box, but Davis, who was behind Minamino, cleared the cross and headed toward the goal, and the ball hit the goalkeeper and went straight into the goal, leaving Canada’s It was recorded as an own goal.

Following a missed penalty kick and an own goal, Canada completely lost control of the game to Japan. Japan, riding on momentum, scored its third goal in the 41st minute, breaking Canada’s will to chase before the end of the first half.

It started with Asano’s forward pressure. Asano succeeded in stealing the ball with strong forward pressure and counterattacked, then passed to Nakamura who was in the box. Nakamura calmly beat a defender and hit the net with a right-footed shot, making the score 3-0.

Canada rarely scored a chasing goal. In the 43rd minute of the first half, Raelyn received a pass from David and took a direct shot inside the box, but missed the opportunity to score a goal as it passed by the goal post.

In the end, when the first half whistle blew, Japan ended the first half with a score of 3-0 and was on the verge of victory. Japan, which has recently won 4 consecutive international matches, was on the verge of its 5th consecutive win by defeating Canada in the first half.

In particular, although it was a home game, Japan overwhelmed Canada with a shooting count of 11 to 3, showing off their fierce attacking soccer in front of their home fans.

Even after the second half began, Japan’s momentum did not stop. In the 3rd minute of the second half, Tanaka received Ito’s sensible penetration pass inside the box and scored the team’s fourth goal with a powerful right-footed volley, achieving multiple goals. Tanaka, who scored the first goal two minutes into the first half, showed off his spirit by scoring before five minutes had elapsed in the second half.

Two minutes after scoring multiple goals, Tanaka attempted a hat trick. In the 5th minute of the second half, goalkeeper Borjan hurled Nakayama’s cross from the left side and hit it out of the box, and the ball was headed straight towards Tanaka. As the goalkeeper was lying on the ground and the goal was empty, Tanaka tried to shoot with his right foot, but it missed the goal and failed to achieve a hat trick.

Japan, which was in a good mood, suffered bad news in the 10th minute of the second half when Nakamura was injured and had to be carried out on a stretcher. During a Japanese counterattack, Canadian center back Johnstone stopped Nakamura from breaking through by grabbing him with his hand. For disrupting an obvious counterattack opportunity, Johnstone was immediately warned by the referee.

The problem was that Nakamura felt severe pain while falling, and although medical staff were immediately dispatched, he was carried off the field on a stretcher. In the end, as it was no longer possible to play the game, Leo Hatate replaced Nakamura.

In the 26th minute of the second half, Minamino unfortunately missed the opportunity to score the team’s fifth goal. After Japan’s counterattack unfolded, Canada succeeded in stopping them right in front of the box, but Minamino quickly caught the second ball, went inside the box, and fired a shot.

Minamino’s right-footed shot aimed at the far post passed between the Canadian defender’s legs and headed toward the goal, but failed to result in a score as it headed outside the goal.

In the 42nd minute of the second half, Canada finally succeeded in scoring a goal. David’s low cross from the right side was hit by goalkeeper Osako with his body, and the ball coincidentally went to substitute striker Junior Hoilett. Hoilett immediately pushed the ball into the goal, easily scoring a comeback goal.

Although they made up for it by one goal, Canada was unable to narrow the score any further before the three minutes of extra time in the second half ran out. In the end, the game ended with Japan’s 4-1 victory, and Japan scored an incredible 22 goals in the last 5 A matches (6-0 against El Salvador, 4-1 against Peru, 4-1 against Germany, 4-2 against Turkey). They succeeded in a 5-game winning streak with attacking soccer.안전놀이터

Meanwhile, Japan is scheduled to invite Tunisia to the Noevia Stadium Kobe in Kobe, Japan at 7:10 pm on the 17th to play the second match of the October international match. Prior to the match against Japan, Tunisia scored a multiple goal from Lee Kang-in (PSG), an own goal from Yassine Meria (Esperance Sportive de Tunis), and an own goal from Hwang Ui-jo (Norwich City) in extra time in the second half in a friendly match against Korea held at the Seoul World Cup Stadium on the 13th. They gave up a key goal and lost 0-4.