In a match described by the famous commentator Issam Al-Shawali as a “World Cup scandal”, the Tunisian national team fell with a wide score for the second time in a row in the World Cup finals, and this time it was the turn of the Japanese national team to devour the Eagles of Carthage with a clean 4-0 victory, in the match that took place at the “Monterrey” stadium as part of the second round of Group F competitions in the North American World Cup 2026.
Everyone who watched the kickoff thought that the Tunisian national team would appear in a different version after the dismissal of Sabri Lamouchi and the appointment of the Frenchman Hervé Renard, after the first attempt led by Hannibal Mejbri, which he concluded with a powerful shot that went over the crossbar.
But things quickly turned upside down after the Samurai succeeded in scoring their first goal, following an organized raid on the left side, which ended with a cross to the near post, which Daichi Kamado followed up with a backheel touch into the net of goalkeeper Aymen Dahman, in a moment that sparked a lot of controversy, after the Tunisian defender was pushed in the back by the Japanese striker at the moment of scoring the goal, without the intervention of the video referees.
Ayase Ueda added the second goal for the Asian football giant, after he easily and comfortably penetrated the final third of the field, amidst the Tunisian national team's defenders, to fire a shot with his right foot to the right of goalkeeper Dahman, who in turn tried to deal with the ball but to no avail.
Despite coach Renard’s attempts to revive his team’s midfield through the changes he made at the start of the second half, the situation did not change much, as Japan remained physically and technically dominant, while the Tunisian team was content with a few timid flashes, the most notable of which was a cross that strangely passed in front of Mejbri on the six-yard line.
With the Eagles’ physical condition deteriorating, the Japanese team was able to strengthen their lead with a third goal, following an organized attack that ended with a through pass to the escaped offside trap, Gonya Ito, who had no difficulty in deceiving the helpless goalkeeper.
A few minutes before the final whistle, Ueda fired the last shot of mercy at coach Renard's team, also with a smooth penetration of the defense line, which ended with a cross that the Japanese player met with a wonderful header into the goal.
With this result, the Japanese team has reached four points, sharing the lead with the Dutch team, which thrashed Sweden with a resounding five-goal victory. The Scandinavian team comes in third place with three points, followed by the Eagles of Carthage in last place with no points.
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