FIFA World Cup 2026 Qualifiers: Crystal Palace's Kamada scores brace as Japan thrashes Indonesia
Crystal Palace forward Daichi Kamada scored twice for Japan, and Paris Saint-Germain's Lee Kang-in netted for South Korea as the Asian giants rounded off successful World Cup qualifying campaigns in style on Tuesday.
Japan romped to a 6-0 thrashing of Patrick Kluivert's Indonesia in Osaka, while South Korea cruised to a 4-0 win over Kuwait in Seoul, where fans were treated to a late appearance by their idol Son Heung-min.
FA Cup winner Kamada struck twice in the first half for already qualified Japan, which finished as Group C winner.
Takefusa Kubo, Ryoya Morishita, Shuto Machino and substitute Mao Hosoya were also on target against Indonesia, which came fourth in the group and moved on to a further qualifying round.
Japan coach Hajime Moriyasu has set the ambitious target of winning next year's World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
His side will play friendlies against teams from outside Asia over the next 12 months and Kamada is looking to learn from the experience.
'Playing against Asian teams and against the kind of European teams who will be at the World Cup is totally different,' said the 28-year-old.
'As we play these games, we will start to see a lot of areas where we need to improve. We need to come together as a team and overcome these problems when they crop up,' he added.
ALSO READ | AFC Asian Cup 2027 qualifiers: Myanmar edges Pakistan 1-0 to take top spot in Group E
Moriyasu said his players need to keep improving 'in all departments' and praised their attitude against Indonesia.
'The challenge for the players is to break past their limits and grow,' he said.
China consolation
Wang Yudong's 90th-minute penalty enabled already eliminated China to avoid finishing bottom of Group C with a consolation 1-0 win over Bahrain in Chongqing.
Second-placed Australia will face third-placed Saudi Arabia later in Group C in Jeddah to decide the final Asian qualifier from this round.
Iran and Uzbekistan are already through to next year's finals from Group A, and Jordan will finish second in Group B to South Korea, which secured qualification last week with a game to spare.
Jeon Jin-woo, who plays in the K-League for Jeonbuk, gave South Korea a 1-0 half-time lead against Kuwait in Seoul.
The Koreans took control after the break with strikes from European-based trio Lee Kang-in of PSG, Oh Hyeon-gyu of Belgium's Genk and Lee Jae-sung of German Club Mainz 05.
Tottenham's Son Heung-min, who has been struggling with injury, came on as a 75th-minute substitute to an ovation from the home fans but could not add to the 4-0 margin.
Third and fourth-placed teams in each of the three groups go into a fourth round of Asian qualifying with two more places up for grabs.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hindu
33 minutes ago
- The Hindu
Indian men's hockey team suffers third consecutive defeat in Pro League, loses 3-4 against Argentina
Sloppy defending cost the Indian men's hockey team dearly as it went down 3-4 to Argentina, slumping to its third consecutive defeat in the European leg of the FIH Pro League here on Wednesday. India had earlier lost 1-2 and 2-3 against Olympic champions Netherlands here. On Wednesday, the Indian defence were caught off guard by the Los Leones as they scored through skipper Matias Rey (3rd minute), Lucas Martinez (17th), Santiago Tarazona (34th) and Lucio Mendez (46th) to secure the win. India's goals were scored by skipper Harmanpreet Singh (12th, 33rd) and Abhishek (42nd). After back-to-back defeats against Netherlands, the Indians started positively and had the better share of possession in the first quarter. But it was Argentina who took the lead in the third minute through captain Matias Rey, courtesy an unforced error from Indian defender Amit Rohidas. Trailing, India, however, pressed hard and dominated the remaining of the quarter and finally restored parity in the 12th minute when skipper Harmanpreet converted a penalty -- the team's first penalty corner -- as both the teams were locked 1-1 at the end of the first quarter. Argentina, however, were the better side on display in the second quarter and took the lead again two minutes into the quarter when Martinez scored from top of the circle, courtesy again a defensive error from Rohidas. While the Indians used the ariel ball to perfection, unforced errors and sloppy defending proved to be their undoing. Three minutes after the change of ends, India equalised through a penalty stroke conversion by Harmanpreet, his second goal of the day. But India's joy was shortlived as 60 seconds later another defensive lapse cost the Harmanpreet-led side dearly when Tarazona pounced upon a mistake to hand his side the lead again. Argentina secured their first penalty corner soon but India defended stoutly. India pressed hard and secured their second penalty corner in the 39th minute but failed to utilise the chance. In the 42nd minute, Abhishek equalised for India, scoring from a rebound after Jarmanpreet Singh's initial shot from top of the circle was saved by Argentina goalkeeper Tomas Satiago. But it was heartbreak for India 18 seconds into the final quarter when Mendez scored to hand his side the decisive lead, courtesy another defensive lapse from the Indian backline. India had another chance to equalise when they were awarded a penalty corner in the 55th minute but wasted the opportunity. With three-and-a-half-minutes remaining and trailing by a goal, India withdrew their goalkeeper for an extra field player but that move didn't yield any result. India will again play Argentina in a return leg match here on Thursday.
NDTV
2 hours ago
- NDTV
Jack Grealish, Kyle Walker Left Out Of Manchester City Squad For Club World Cup
Jack Grealish's future at Manchester City was plunged into further doubt on Wednesday after the England international was left out of Pep Guardiola's squad for the Club World Cup. Despite City naming just 27 players from a possible 35 for the tournament beginning in the United States on June 14, Grealish was omitted alongside former captain Kyle Walker. All four of the club's new signings this week - Rayan Ait-Nouri, Rayan Cherki, Tijani Reijnders and Marcus Bettinelli - are included. Ballon d'Or winner Rodri is also selected after making his comeback from a long-term knee injury just before the end of the Premier League season. Grealish, who remains City's record signing after a £100 million ($135 million) move from Aston Villa in 2021, has fallen down the pecking order over the past two seasons. He made just seven Premier League starts in the 2024/25 campaign and was notably not summoned from the bench as City went down to a 1-0 defeat to Crystal Palace in the FA Cup final last month. The 29-year-old still has two years left to run on his City contract and his reported £300,000-a-week ($405,000) wages are a barrier to finding a potential suitor. Guardiola threatened last month he could leave the club if the size of his squad is not cut before the new season begins. Grealish is just one of a number of expected exits, along with Walker. The 35-year-old spent the second half of last season on loan at AC Milan, but the Italian giants have not taken up an option to buy. City begin their Club World Cup campaign against Moroccan side Wydad Casablanca in Philadelphia next Wednesday before facing further group games against Al Ain of Abu Dhabi and Juventus. (Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
Hindustan Times
2 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
Tyler Adams says US soccer team tunes out criticism from former players
Tyler Adams says the U.S. soccer team has tuned out criticism from former players. Landon Donovan and Clint Dempsey, who share the American goals record with 57 each, are among those who have been critical of current regulars not in the struggling roster preparing for the CONCACAF Gold Cup. 'We don't talk about that internally as a group," Adams said Wednesday during a Zoom interview with The Associated Press. "The noise on the outside is the noise on the outside. I think we need to focus on what we need to do as a group and continue to build.' Star Christian Pulisic is skipping the June camp and Gold Cup to rest after playing about 120 games for club and country over two seasons. 'Whether it was Gold Cup, whether it was Copa , whether it was Confederations Cup, whether it was the World Cup, I wasn't going to miss competitions,' Dempsey said last week on the 'Men in Blazers' podcast. 'For me, I don't understand it because that wasn't my mentality. I always wanted to play in those games.' Watching Portugal celebrate its win over Spain in Sunday's European Nations League final, Donovan said on the Fox postgame show: 'I can't help but think about our guys on vacation not wanting to play in Gold Cup.' Pulisic has not spoken publicly of his decision. The U.S. has lost four straight games, its longest skid since 2007, following a 4-0 rout Tuesday night by Switzerland. 'This is part of the process,' Adams said. 'You're going to win games. You're going to lose games. It's about continuing to build that. I think we're on the right path. We have to continue to build and try the things that we've been training. It'll take a little bit of time, but it will come together.' Adams didn't dress for the Switzerland friendly but is confident he will be ready for the Gold Cup, where the Americans open Sunday against Trinidad and Tobago. 'A little turf toe-type injury. More of an overuse thing probably than anything — overload. It was something that I picked up when I came into camp,' Adams said. 'Progressing well right now, but just trying to be smart and manage it.' Adams, who captained the U.S. at the 2022 World Cup, funded a pair of mini-pitches at Pulaski Park in Poughkeepsie, New York, near his home in Wappinger. He spoke on the Zoom about his work with Allstate, the U.S. Soccer Foundation and Black Star Soccer to construct fields about the size of basketball courts at the Fisher Magnet Upper Academy in Detroit and The Bell Avenue School in Yeadon, Pennsylvania. 'Before the World Cup hopefully we plan to do one more with a city unnamed yet,' Adams said. 'It's something that I think has real impact, continues to grow the sport, serves underserved communities.' Now 26, Adams is feeling back to his old self. He had back surgery last July with Dr. Robert Watkins and returned to the field with England's Bournemouth on Oct. 26. Adams played in 28 Premier League matches this season after being limited to three in 2023-24 because of leg injuries. 'It's definitely enjoyable when you're healthy,' he said. "The 16-to-18 months that it was just on and off inconsistency is something I never had in my career and never had to battle. And then when it hits you and you go through that, you just learn different ways to navigate things, enjoy life, just not take things for granted, all the little things." Since Mauricio Pochettino took over as U.S. coach last fall, players have had more autonomy to break away from rigid positioning employed by his predecessor, Gregg Berhalter. 'From a positional standpoint, obviously we had probably a little bit of a different structure under Gregg,' Adams said. 'Maurizio gives the players freedom to find spots they're comfortable in and see how they can affect the game in different ways. I think our attacking players definitely have freedom to try and find the ball and create things in the right areas of the field. So, yeah, I think he gives everyone freedom, but there's still structure to the way that we want to play.' Adams will be with the U.S. team in Austin, Texas, next Wednesday, and following intently when the Premier League releases its 2025-26 schedule at 3 a.m. CDT. He feels improved because of his time with Leeds in 2022-23 and Bournemouth the past two seasons. 'After you play in the Premier League, every game feels slow,'' he said. 'No matter what game I play in now the game feels slow. You look at your schedule when the season comes out and you have to play in a row Arsenal, Tottenham, Man City, Liverpool, Manchester United, all these big games back to back to back you just learn how to make decisions quicker and if you don't, you get punished." soccer: /hub/soccer
