Australia beats second-string Japan to reach brink of 2026 World Cup qualification

Australia just qualified for the World Championship with the win. Away games are always tougher to play well in. Japan did very well.

Qualifying out of Asia a dubious achievement at best

Qualifying out of Asia a dubious achievement at best

Yeah, they should have stayed in that super tough Oceania group. Qualifying by beating the likes of Vanuatu, Fiji, Samoa and Tonga is more of an achievement than beating Japan!

Says no-one.

I was there last night, one of 56,000 odd people and it was a great game by both sides. Crowds were great, atmosphere was great and the rain held off too!

The news shows that national Japanese football team lost the match against Australia.

Moriyasu coach tried many Japanese young talents because they already decided on the next World Cup.

 Japan was able to make effective passes and dribbles even as they struggled against Australia's solid defense.

They survived the Japanese attack until the very end, and just before the end of the match, they had a chance to win the game with a goal scored by a player on the left side of the field.

In my opinion,** I think that aggressive use of young players is necessary to determine the members for future World Cups. However, I think it is not a good idea to use young inexperienced players against Australia, which is one of the most talented teams in Asia.**

In conclusion, I hope you will challenge with the best members through trial and error and achieve good results!

"Australia just qualified for the World Championship with the win. Away games are always tougher to play well in. Japan did very well."

Of course away games are tough, but it's meaningless to have almost 70 percent ball possession and lose the game in the final minutes. Although the loss had no actual effect the team qualified longtime ago.

I think this Japanese team played better than the usual Japan team. They were young and active and attacked a lot. The usual Japanese team like to sit back and play on the counter and play boring style. But they somehow get wins which are totally undeserving. It might be a good idea to build these young lads into a proper Japanese squad rather than those regulars.

"I think this Japanese team played better than the usual Japan team. They were young and active and attacked a lot. The usual Japanese team like to sit back and play on the counter and play boring style. But they somehow get wins which are totally undeserving. It might be a good idea to build these young lads into a proper Japanese squad rather than those regulars."

The regulars are more experienced they know how to control the game in all aspects. The young team didn't do badly either but they can do better than moving the ball from side to side for 90 minutes. Sometimes when doing that is not working it's preferable to steamroll the defense in the middle with a sledgehammer brutal force

Japanese footballers are good at passing, anticipation, and speedy runs. Even an experimental second string Samurai XI is a tough side to overcome. Gaffer Moriyasu is blessed with a rich pool of talent. The Men in Blue could go far at the Football 2026 World Cup festivities.

I also think Japan has the talent to go deep into the next tournament - possibly really deep. They have been threatening in the last couple of tournaments.

Whilst they had a lot of possession and played a slick passing game, they didn't really terrify the Australian defence, being forced to mostly shoot from distance.

But cracking crop of young talent.

Just beat a Japanese second team, 1-0 thars no great achievement. Good luck Australia you will need it