Kamada’s early strike gives Japan historic World Cup opener against Tunisia
Daichi Kamada’s fourth-minute backheel from Keito Nakamura put Japan ahead in Monterrey, where the Group F match became World Cup game No. 1,000.
Japan did not wait for Tunisia to settle into the occasion. Daichi Kamada struck in the fourth minute at Estadio BBVA in Monterrey, turning Keito Nakamura’s precise cross into an early lead with a backheeled finish that beat Aymen Dahmen and immediately changed the shape of the match.
The goal carried added weight because FIFA marked Japan-Tunisia as the 1,000th match in World Cup history. That milestone made Kamada’s finish the first goal in a game that already had a place in the tournament record book, and it gave Japan the sort of fast start that can dictate the terms of a group-stage contest before the opposition has fully organized.
Japan’s opening burst was also a continuation of a familiar pattern. In its first match of the 2026 World Cup, Japan had drawn 2-2 with the Netherlands, and Kamada had again been central, helping create the late equalizer that salvaged a point. Against Tunisia, the same combination of tempo, movement and precision appeared almost immediately, with Nakamura controlling the play, feinting, then sending in the kind of service that allowed Kamada, wearing No. 15, to finish first time with a taconazo inside the penalty area.
For Japan, that kind of early strike does more than add a goal. It forces opponents to chase the match before they have even found rhythm, shifting the tactical burden to the side already under pressure. Tunisia entered the game needing a response of its own after a 5-1 defeat to Sweden in its opening Group F match, and the early concession in Monterrey only deepened that challenge.
Tunisia arrived with fresh scrutiny as well. Herve Renard had stepped in after Sabri Lamouchi was dismissed following the heavy loss to Sweden, and the timing of Kamada’s goal left little room for Renard’s side to settle into a recovery plan. Japan, by contrast, looked prepared for the moment from the first touch, and Kamada’s opener underlined why its starts have become such a decisive weapon on the World Cup stage.
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