On November 16, Beijing time, the second stage of the 2026 World Cup Asian Qualifiers will be contested, and Japan, ranked 18th in the world in Group B, easily defeated Myanmar, ranked 158th in the world, with 5 goals, and Australia in Group I defeated Bangladesh 7-0 to create a tragedy.
Japan leaders: Keisuke Osako, Hirosu Machida, Shogo Taniguchi, Yuta Nakayama, Shinya Bikuma, Aoi Tanaka, Ritsu Doan, Daichi Ajida, Yusuke Ai, Takumi Minamino, and Reyo Ueda.
At the beginning of the game, Japan completely controlled the rhythm of the game and formed a siege momentum, they played unhurriedly and slowly looked for opportunities, and in the 11th minute, Takumi Minamino accurately picked up a pass to assist Ueda Kiyo jumped high to head the goal to take the lead. The team continued to press, Machida Hiroki was saved from distance, and in the 28th minute, Tanaka Bi Naosei assisted Kamada Daichi to shoot into the net from the top of the arc.
As the game continued, Ritsu Doyasu's free kick was defused by the goalkeeper, Yuki Soma's long-range shot was also saved by the goalkeeper, and in first-half stoppage time, Ueda scored a brace from a tight angle, giving Japan a three-goal advantage for the time being. Myanmar basically did not see the opportunity to counterattack, with 16-84% possession, 0-11 shots on goal and 0-6 shots on target, all of which vividly showed the difference in strength between the two sides.
Coming back in the second half, in the 50th minute, Takumi Minamino's exquisite pass penetrated the defense, and Ueda Kiyo stepped in to receive the ball and scored a hat-trick. Japan's offensive continued unabated, Don Anritsu's shot hit the goal frame and popped up, Takumi Minamino had consecutive shots that were resolved, and the Myanmar goalkeeper made many wonderful saves without the score continuing to expand.
In the 86th minute of the final stage, Hidemasa Morita found the ball in the penalty area to stop the ball and hit the goal, and the goal goal was scored in one go, and the first Japan in Asia defeated Myanmar 5-0 to get a good start to the group stage.
Australia, ranked 27th in Group I, hosted Bangladesh ranked 183rd in the world, scoring with a header from Suta in just four minutes, Borello in the 20th minute, and Duke scoring a goal each in the 37th and 40th minutes to give the Kangaroos a 4-0 lead at half-time. McClaren, who came off the bench in the second half, scored a hat-trick and missed a late penalty to end Australia's 7-0 thrashing of Bangladesh.