JEDDAH – Japan continued their impressive start to the third round of Asia’s World Cup qualifiers with a 2-0 win away to Group C opponents Saudi Arabia on Thursday.
Daichi Kamada struck the 14th-minute opener and substitute Koki Ogawa doubled the margin in the 81st minute for the unbeaten Samurai Blue at King Abdullah Sport City in Jeddah, taking the team’s goal tally to 14 scored and none conceded in three Group C matches.
While Hajime Moriyasu’s men steamrolled China and Bahrain earlier in qualifying, Roberto Mancini’s Green Falcons presented a considerably tougher challenge at a venue where the hosts had won all three previous meetings between the sides, including a 1-0 victory in World Cup qualifying three years ago
Crystal Palace midfielder Kamada gave Japan the lead when he stroked a close-range shot past Saudi keeper Ahmed Al Kassar off a header from Hidemasa Morita.
Ritsu Doan set the stage with a cross-field ball that found Kaoru Mitoma on the left of the area, and the Brighton winger flicked the ball centrally for Morita to nod into Kamada’s path.
“More important than scoring a goal myself is winning at this stadium for the first time. That’s a huge thing for Japanese football,” Kamada said.
The Saudis turned up the pressure as they sought an equalizer, with Koki Machida, Morita and Wataru Endo defending desperately to thwart a succession of attempts.
Japan’s Koki Ogawa (2nd from R) scores with a header in the second half of a 2026 football World Cup final-round Asian qualifier against Saudi Arabia at King Abdullah Sports City Stadium in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on Oct. 10, 2024.
Japan keeper Zion Suzuki pushed a shot over the bar as the visitors were forced to defend a series of corners. The Parma stopper also made a diving save to deny Saud Abdulhamid before halftime.
With the balance of possession in favor of the Green Falcons, Ogawa gave Japan breathing room when he met Junya Ito’s corner kick in the middle of the area and powered a header past Al Kassar into the bottom left corner.
“This stadium is a very difficult place to play in,” Moriyasu said. “The players expected it would be a hard battle and showed their toughness. They executed defensively, which laid the foundation for their attack.”
The latest result leaves Japan five points clear at the head of the group, from which the top two teams will earn automatic qualification for the 2026 World Cup in Canada, Mexico and the United States.
The Samurai Blue will host another of Asia’s heavyweights, Australia, at Saitama Stadium on Tuesday.
BY: The Times Union
