Wataru Endo and Kaoru Mitoma, two Premier League players, each scored as Japan defeated China 7-0 on Thursday to start the third round of Asian World Cup qualifying with a decisive victory.
The winger for Brighton, Mitoma, who has been sidelined by injury for a significant portion of this year, was playing for Japan for the first time since the Asian Cup in January.
In front of almost 50,000 spectators in Saitama, he made a dramatic comeback by scoring with a header in the first half, after Japan had taken the lead thanks to a goal from Liverpool’s Endo.
After the half, Takumi Minamino scored two more goals to put Japan comfortably ahead of a China team hoping to make their first World Cup appearance since 2002.
Playing for Japan for the first time since the Asian Cup, Junya Ito added another goal before Daizen Maeda and Takefusa Kubo’s late goals completed an impressive display by Hajime Moriyasu’s team.
Despite the lopsided result, captain Endo claimed that the victory “wasn’t easy.”
“We entered the field with a positive attitude,” he remarked.
“We scored our first goal through a set piece, and as we continued to play our own football, the goals came in.” It was a fantastic game, and we won by three points.
China, who advanced to the third qualifying round by virtue of their better head-to-head record against Thailand, had a night to forget.
“Japan has great strength. They are a world-class team, not merely the best in Asia, according to China’s Croatian coach Branko Ivankovic.
He continued, “We’ll collaborate to see if there’s anything this game can teach us.
In an intriguing-looking Group C, Australia, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Indonesia, Japan, and China have also been selected.
The top two teams will definitely play in the World Cup, while the third and fourth-place teams will go to the next round of qualification.
China plays Saudi Arabia at home on Tuesday, while Japan plays Bahrain away.
“Relief” for Mitoma Endo emerged from a corner, heading the home team’s first goal entirely unguarded.
At the end of injury time, Mitoma nodded in Ritsu Doan’s cross at the back post to double Japan’s lead.
The 27-year-old Mitoma declared himself “relieved” to be on the scoresheet after scoring his first goal for his nation in over a year.
We were able to play well right from the start thanks to the tremendous home support, Mitoma added.
“It will be difficult to play Bahrain away, but I think we can repeat this kind of performance.”
With two goals in the span of six minutes, Minamino gave Japan a decisive lead early in the second half.
Ito then marked his comeback to the team by substituting in and scoring Japan’s fifth goal.
The Reims winger had not played since he was dropped from the Asian Cup team following claims made by a Japanese magazine that he had molested two women at an Osaka hotel the previous year.
The athlete, who has denied any misconduct, had accusations against him dropped by Japanese authorities last month.
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