Six minutes added. Tunisia need four goals to stay alive in this tournament. Good luck with that.
Six minutes added. Tunisia need four goals to stay alive in this tournament. Good luck with that.
Japan pick it apart down the right and Sano stands up a cross to the far post. Ueda's timing is perfect, he climbs above everyone and directs his header into the net. That's a beautiful goal. Four-nil in the 83rd minute. Japan are on a different level.
Itakura's been everywhere. He's hit 80 passes now, the first time a Japan player has done that in a World Cup match. More touches than anyone else on the pitch. He's controlled this game from the back.
Ito's chasing everything down the right. Ben Hmida has to slide across and gives away a corner. Japan are relentless out there. The corner's poor though and Tunisia head it clear.
Japan work it slowly across the back then hit Ueda with a quick pass. Ueda flicks it first time around the corner, past the offside trap, and Ito's onto it. He holds off Rekik and rolls it under the goalkeeper. Japan are three up. That's a really nice finish from Ito in the 69th minute.
Tunisia are set up to hold what they've got. They're not gambling for a goal, which means Japan are having to work harder for space. The openness of the first half has dried up.
Japan work a short corner, try to find an angled pass but it hits a Tunisian defender. Tunisia break at speed and they want a penalty for handball when Ito slides in to block. The referee says no.
The Japanese fans are loud but Japan have gone loose. Tunisia are punishing them on the flanks, finding space through careless turnovers. They're getting back into this.
Saad's off for Tunisia. Gharbi comes on in his place at the start of the second half.
Tunisia 0-2 Japan at half-time. Japan have controlled this completely and they're worth every bit of their lead. Tunisia have been poor, just one goal in three halves across this tournament. The second half could be a long one for them.
Tunisia haven't had a shot since the third minute. That was Hannibal, and it sailed over. They're going to need to do a lot more going forward if they want to get back into this. Renard's side are being dominated here.
Japan are playing a different game to a lot of these teams we've seen. They're stroking it around their back three, controlling the tempo, but there's a sharpness to it. It's not just possession for possession's sake. There's a real bite underneath, like they're waiting to pounce.
Ueda takes a short pass from Itakura and he's got space. He winds up from 18 yards and strikes it beautifully. The ball goes through Talbi's legs and into the bottom corner. Japan are two up. That's a sensational finish from Ueda in the 31st minute.
One curves in from the wing, Saad with it, but Itakura heads it clear. Japan break quickly off the second ball, Kamada running into space. Ben Slimane reads it and cuts it out before it develops.
Suzuki sends it long and Talbi's badly misjudged it. Ueda nips in, wins the ball, and squares it across the six yard box. Bronn slides in at the last second, deflects it away from his own goal. Corner to Japan. That was close.
Japan are straight through. They've gone down the left, pace on the ball, and Kamada is there at the back post to stab it home. Japan lead 1-0 in the fourth minute. That's Japan's fastest goal in World Cup history. That was quick.
We're off. Ball is in play in Guadalupe and the match has started. This is the 1,000th World Cup match ever, 96 years after the tournament kicked off in Montevideo with France thumping Mexico 4-1 and the USA hammering Belgium 3-0. History on the field right now.
Japan is heavily favored to defeat Tunisia in this World Cup 2026 Group F matchup. Analysts predict a comfortable 3-1 or 2-0 victory for Japan, heavily backed by Japan's strong momentum after their impressive 2-2 draw with the Netherlands and Tunisia's current organizational chaos.
Total Matches: 6
Tunisia Wins: 1
Japan Wins: 5
Draws: 0
The FIFA World Cup 2026 will be telecast live on Unite8 Sports network on television. For live streaming, one can catch the action on the Zee5 app and website.
Hello, we are back with another live blog, and this time it is Tunisia vs Japan. Stay tuned for all the live updates from the FIFA World Cup 2026 Group F clash.
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