Tunisia 0-4 Japan: Ueda stars in the World Cup's 1,000th match

Japan did not just beat Tunisia, they got a performance built around Ayase Ueda. He scored twice, added one assist and finished with a match-high 9.7 rating as Japan won 4-0 in the World Cup's 1,000th men's match.

Ueda's numbers sit above everything else

Ueda scored in the 31st and 83rd minutes, and he also set up Junya Ito for Japan's third goal in the 69th minute. That kind of output is why the game ended up looking like a personal showcase as much as a team win.

The supporting cast did their part too. Keito Nakamura supplied the assist for Daichi Kamada's fourth-minute opener, and Ko Itakura was involved in Ueda's second. Ueda's 9.7 was the highest rating on the pitch, while Tunisia's top-rated players, Hannibal Mejbri and Ellyes Skhiri, were on 6.9.

Kamada's goal keeps the spotlight on Japan

Kamada gave Japan the perfect start, and Sports Mole said it was another sign of his World Cup form after he had failed to score throughout the 2025-26 domestic season. Reuters also reported that Japan's 4-0 win came in the World Cup's 1,000th match, and that it left them on the brink of the knockout stages.

There is a fair argument that Kamada's goal deserves more attention than it will get because it set the tone so early. Even so, the headline belongs to Ueda. Two goals, one assist and a 9.7 rating in a match like this is the sort of return that gets noticed quickly, and Japan will take that into the next round of fixtures.