Takumi Minamino bags a brace as clinical Japan put seven past China

Japan commenced the third phase of Asia's qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup with a resounding victory, defeating China 7-0 at Saitama Stadium on Thursday under the guidance of coach Hajime Moriyasu.

Wataru Endo and Kaoru Mitoma established a two-goal advantage for Japan by halftime in this Group C encounter, while Takumi Minamino contributed two goals in the second half. Junya Ito, Daizen Maeda, and Takefusa Kubo further increased the score, showcasing Japan's dominance over a clearly outmatched Chinese team.

Historically, Japan has been slow to start in the final phase of Asia's qualifiers, but there was nothing sluggish about Moriyasu's squad in this match against China.

Endo opened the scoring in the 12th minute after Chinese goalkeeper Wang Dalei had previously denied Ritsu Doan's header. Unmarked at the subsequent corner, Endo capitalized on Kubo's delivery, scoring with a precise header.

Doan nearly added a second goal in the 33rd minute, while Hidemasa Morita struck the side-netting just before halftime.

Japan managed to double their lead before the break, with Mitoma heading in Doan's curling cross, leaving Wang helpless.

Seven minutes into the second half, Moriyasu's team increased their lead when Mitoma's pass found Minamino in the penalty area, who skillfully placed his shot beyond Wang.

Minamino netted his second goal six minutes later with a well-placed shot into the bottom corner, leaving Wang on the ground.

Substitute Ito scored the fifth goal 13 minutes from the end, as his shot was deflected past Wang by Jiang Guangtai, and he later assisted Maeda for the sixth goal in the 87th minute.

Kubo capped off the scoring in injury time, striking the ball into the roof of the net and sealing China's dismal performance.

The leading two teams in the group, which includes Australia, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, and Bahrain, will qualify directly for the World Cup, while the teams finishing in third and fourth place will move on to an additional qualifying round.

Asia is allocated eight assured spots for the 2026 finals, with the potential for an extra spot through an intercontinental playoff.