Japan doubles lead over Tunisia with Ueda’s long-range stunner

Ayase Ueda turned Japan’s first-half control into a harder truth on the scoreboard, cracking in a long-range strike in the 31st minute to push the lead over Tunisia to 2-0 at Estadio Monterrey. The finish came after Daichi Kamada had opened the scoring, and it underlined how quickly Hajime Moriyasu’s side converted possession into danger in Group F of the FIFA World Cup 2026.

Ueda’s goal was a decisive moment in a match Japan had largely dictated. Japan held 66 percent of the ball in the first half, a territorial edge that made the second goal feel less like a surprise than the latest expression of a team comfortable pressing an advantage. The shot itself came from the edge of the area, a powerful right-footed drive that left the Tunisian goalkeeper with no chance.

The game was played at Monterrey Stadium in Monterrey, Mexico, with kickoff set for 21 June 2026 at 04:00 local time. It sat in the middle of a tightly packed Group F schedule for Japan, which had opened against the Netherlands in Dallas on 14 June and was set to meet Sweden on 25 June. That sequence has framed Japan’s tournament so far as a test of consistency, with no room for wasted control.

Ueda’s finish also fit a broader pattern around his form for Japan. Feyenoord had pointed to his recent scoring run in national-team duty, including a stoppage-time equalizer in a 2-2 draw with Paraguay and the winner in a 3-2 victory over Brazil in pre-tournament friendlies. Against Tunisia, he added another clean, clinical strike, reinforcing Japan’s attacking identity at the moment when the match needed a second decisive blow.

For Japan, the value of the goal went beyond the immediate cushion. In a World Cup group where margins can define the path forward, Ueda’s strike showed a side capable of sustaining pressure and punishing it with speed, precision and range.