Tunisia’s hopes of reaching the knockout stage of the 2026 FIFA World Cup were ended after a comprehensive 4-0 defeat by Japan in Guadalupe, Mexico.
The North Africans entered the match amid turmoil following their 5-1 loss to Sweden, which led to the dismissal of head coach Sabri Lamouchi and the appointment of former Saudi Arabia manager Hervé Renard.
However, the managerial change failed to spark an immediate response as Japan took control from the opening minutes.
The Asian side needed less than four minutes to break the deadlock. A swift counter-attack carved open the Tunisian defence before Daichi Kamada applied the finishing touch from close range at Monterrey Stadium.
Japan doubled their advantage soon afterwards through Ayase Ueda, who produced an excellent finish from the edge of the area, firing through a defender’s legs and into the far corner.
Tunisia struggled to create meaningful opportunities throughout the contest and repeatedly allowed Japan space to dictate possession and control the tempo.
A third goal arrived when Junya Ito was played through on goal and calmly rolled his effort beyond goalkeeper Aymen Dahmen.
Ueda then completed the scoring with his second goal of the afternoon, guiding a looping header into the far corner to seal an emphatic victory.
Japan rarely looked troubled and comfortably neutralised Tunisia’s attacking efforts, producing one of their most convincing displays of the tournament so far.
The result leaves Japan on four points and in a strong position to reach the Round of 32. They will look to secure qualification when they face Sweden in their final Group C match on Friday.
For Hajime Moriyasu, Japan coach, he says they simply prepared well
“We prepared well for what we wanted to do and played aggressively. During our preparations, the coaching staff made it clear what we needed to do, and because of that the players were able to perform to their full potential. Many Japanese supporters came here to Monterrey, sang the national anthem with us and cheered us on loudly. Their support was a huge boost for us.”
Tunisia, meanwhile, have now been eliminated and will conclude their campaign against group leaders Netherlands.
