Ayase Ueda scored twice as Japan thrashed Tunisia 4-0 in Monterrey, eliminating the north African side from the World Cup in what was Herve Renard’s first game in charge. The victory was the largest ever by an Asian side in the tournament’s history, and came on the landmark occasion of the 1,000th World Cup match.
Daichi Kamada opened the scoring within four minutes of kick-off, and Ueda added two more as Japan ran riot. The Feyenoord centre-forward led the line with intelligence and imagination, exposing a Tunisia side that, as the Guardian noted, remained “a diffident side lacking defensive conviction” regardless of who was in the dugout.
“Ayase Ueda scores twice as Japan thrash Tunisia 4-0 to eliminate them from the World Cup in Herve Renard's first match.”
Renard was appointed after Tunisia sacked Sabri Lamouchi following their 5-1 defeat to Sweden last week. He became the seventh manager they have employed since qualifying began, but had only three days to work with his players before facing Japan. The 57-year-old has won the Africa Cup of Nations with Zambia in 2012 and with Côte d’Ivoire in 2015, but admitted he is not “a magician”.
“We were hoping for a better reaction, a better performance,” Renard said after the match. “Unfortunately the score was heavy, but this reflects the difference between the teams. Today we were lacking good defensive organisation. In the first 20 minutes of the second half we were more rigorous but this was not enough.”
The defeat means Tunisia exit the World Cup at the group stage. Renard, who wore his trademark white shirt, seemed resigned to the outcome. The match was played a day after a violent thunderstorm had flooded the stadium compound and turned the main access road into a raging torrent – but Tunisia’s problems, as Renard himself acknowledged, ran far deeper than the weather.
For Japan, the win marks a statement performance. Ueda’s double and Kamada’s early strike powered them to a dominant victory that will be remembered as the moment an Asian side recorded their biggest ever win on the world’s biggest stage.