SAMURAI BLUE (Japan National Team) had their third match of the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia Asian Qualifiers Round 2 on 8 September in a neutral place, Tehran, Iran as they cruised past Afghanistan 6-0 including doubles by midfielder KAGAWA Shinji (Borussia Dortmund) and forward OKAZAKI Shinji (Leicester City).

With their first away win in the Asian Qualifiers Round 2, Japan added points and moved up to second place in Group E with two wins and one tie. In the other match of the same group held on the same day, Syria beat Singapore 1-0 to keep the top spot with the third straight win. While Singapore stand in third place recording four points with one win, one loss and one tie, Afghanistan stay in fourth with one win and two losses. The bottom place is held by Cambodia, who did not have a match on the day, earning no points.

Japan changed their starting lineup, replacing MUTO Yoshinori (1.FSV Mainz 05) with left midfielder HARAGUCHI Genki (Hertha BSC Berlin). Haraguchi went aggressively in cooperation with central midfielder Kagawa and left back NAGATOMO Yuto (FC Internazionale Milano) and created his team's attacking tempo. The Japan side as a team also showed aggressive moves.

The opening goal was scored in the 10th minute. After receiving Haraguchi's pass outside the box, Kagawa turned around and beat an opponent. And he fired a shot with his right foot on goal for his goal in two straight matches to open the scoring.

Japan, picking up the momentum with the goal, started to create goal-scoring opportunities one after another with long balls from side to side, cross balls from sides, shots from the centre and vertical passes.

In the 21st minute, defender SAKAI Hiroki (Hannover 96) slotted a cross to Okazaki in front of goal, and in the 27th minute, defender MORISHIGE Masato's (F.C. Tokyo) shot from the edge of the box was parried by the opposing goalkeeper and hit off the cross bar.

Japan's additional goal came in the 35th minute. Morishige headed a cross on target, and the opposing goalkeeper palmed it away. HONDA Keisuke (AC Milan) cut back the loose ball just on the goal line to help Morishige tapping it into the net.

In the closing minutes of the first half, after Kagawa fed a fast low cross into the box through a left free kick, Honda made a driving run to meet it first time, but his shot was saved by the goalkeeper.

While Afghanistan packed the defence, they played on counterattacks, letting their attackers run forward once winning the ball. But they failed to halt Japanese possession.

Japan's momentum did not stop in the second half. Just after four minutes, starting from Honda's vertical pass, Haraguchi sent the ball to Kagawa, who found the back of the net to make it 3-0.

In the 57th minute, when midfielder YAMAGUCHI Hotaru (Cerezo Osaka) ran through to the right side of the box and passed the ball into the centre, Okazaki met the set-up to score for Japan's fourth goal. Three minutes later, Okazaki raced through the heart of defence at the far side for a deflection of Honda's shot before composedly sending it into the net for 5-0.

Japan sent forward USAMI Takashi (Gamba Osaka) onto the left midfield in place of Sakai and let Haraguchi play at the right back. Just three minutes later, Usami broke through the left flank and fed a cross into the centre. Honda rushed for the ball and pushed it into the net with his whole body to give his side a six-goal lead.

Japan coach Vahid HALILHODZIC subbed in Muto in the 76th minute as a left midfielder and moved Honda in the centre behind the striker. In the 81st minute, substitute midfielder ENDO Wataru took a defensive midfielder position for HASEBE Makoto. In the closing minutes, Honda threatened the opponents with a free kick, but his shot was denied by the goalkeeper before the match ended 6-0.

Match detail

The next match is scheduled on 8 October against Syria. It is to be again held in a neutral place, Oman due to Syria's domestic instability. On the side note, Japan have an international friendly in Tehran against Iran on 13 October before meeting Cambodia and Singapore on the road in November at the Asian Qualifiers Round 2.

Coach and Players' Comments

Vahid HALILHODZIC, Coach of SAMURAI BLUE (Japan National Team)
That was a great win. It's not easy to score six goals. We created big chances a lot of times as well as had beautiful goals and wonderful actions. Above all, Okazaki's goal was ideal. I shifted Haraguchi to the right back to increase more cross balls because we wanted more goals. The players performed to the best of their ability.

Kagawa has shown good performances in his club and continued them in the national team. He is a very important player and I hope he will keep up such a performance. The fact we scored six goals today isn't a bad thing, but the following opponents Syria are more difficult. We will make a good preparation.

MF   KAGAWA Shinji (Borussia Dortmund)
I was able to take the shot in my favour. I know the pitch condition was poor, so I tried to play dynamically rather than care about fine details. On the moment I scored, Haraguchi cut past an opponent well, so I got an angle to shoot. That combination was good. 

The third goal came when the ball was returned to the right spot, and I was able to stay composed and put it into the net. With the goal, I got 23 career goals. But I will try not to care about the number and play each one of matches to add it up more.

FW   OKAZAKI Shinji (Leicester City)
When you determine if the team is developing, it is hard to make a judgement because of the difficulty of the battles in Asia. We should find an appropriate fashion when playing in Asia. But we have been able to take advantage of what we learned in the Singapore match so far. When I scored, Yamaguchi sent a cross well. Against opponents like today's, it's important to keep scoring.

FW   HONDA Keisuke (AC Milan)
Today we scored when we were supposed to score. We were able to add more goals at the timing when the opponents lost their concentration, and we ended up finishing the match 6-0. The opening goal is important if you try to score a lot of goals, and if you score early, the possibility increases. Kagawa scored a critical goal. Young players had a chance to play in a match like this on the road. It's important to build the team while we are winning.

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