China Defense Welcome. Nice to meet you. The door is open. Hahaha Japan 2-0 in the first half

Despite boos and laser attacks from Chinese supporters, Japan scored two goals before the end of the first half in their away game in China.

Japan finished the first half of the 6th match of Group C of the 2026 FIFA North and Central America World Cup Asia Region 3rd qualifying round with China 2-0 at the Xiamen White Road Stadium in Xiamen, China on the 19th (Korean time).

Japan used a 3-4-2-1 pattern. Zion Suzuki guarded the goal, and Koki Machida, Go Itakura, and Ayumu Seko formed the back three. The midfield was comprised of Keito Nakamura, Wataru Endo, Ao Tanaka, and Takumi Minamino, while Junya Ito and Takefusa Kubo were deployed in the second line. Koki Ogawa was named as the top player at the forefront.

China adopted the 4-3-1-2 pattern. Wang Da-lei wore the goalkeeper’s gloves, and Hu Hetao, Zhang Shengrong, Zhou Tianjie, and Yang Zexiang formed the back four. The third line was guarded by Xie Weneng, Wang Shangyuan, and Xu Haoyang, and Yong Jongjing sortied in the second line. At the front line, Lim Liangming and Wei Sihao aimed for the Japanese goal.

In the 10th minute of the first half, in a Chinese throw-in situation, Wei Shihao, who was located inside the penalty box, received a penetrating pass and attempted a shot when the shooting angle was insufficient. The shot hit the side net of the goal, resulting in a goal kick for Japan.

In the 24th minute of the first half, in the left area of ​​the penalty area, Nakamura aimed for the far post and attempted a right-foot curling shot, but the shot missed the goal and did not result in an effective shot.

As the game continued to be tense, in the 33rd minute of the first half, Ogawa saw the goalkeeper come forward and attempted a long-range shot from the Japanese side. The shot headed toward the goal, but goalkeeper Wang Darei quickly returned to his position and caught Ogawa’s shot.

In the 37th minute of the first half, Minamino kept the ball in the center of the box and passed it to Tanaka, who was right in front of the box. Tanaka, who had a good opportunity, fired a shot, but the shot was blocked by the Chinese defensive wall.

In the 39th minute of the first half, China’s goalkeeper Wang Darei made a fantastic save to prevent a goal being conceded. Japanese soccer star Kubo fired a sharp left-footed mid-range shot from outside the box, which goalkeeper Wang Da-lei made a save by leaping to the side.

Japan, whose good scoring opportunity was canceled, immediately opened the Chinese goal in a set piece situation. Kubo, who created a corner kick, sent a high cross into the box, which Ogawa jumped high and hit with his head, shaking the Chinese net.

Five minutes of extra time were given in the first half, and Japan added one more goal through a set piece. Machida jumped high and dropped a cross in front of him, and Itakura hit it on the head, scoring an additional goal.

After Itakura’s additional goal, the final whistle of the first half sounded, and Japan took advantage of both set-piece opportunities to finish the first half with a 2-0 lead.

China, which is aiming to advance to the World Cup finals for the first time in 24 years since the 2002 Korea-Japan World Cup, suffered a crushing 0-7 defeat in an away game against Japan last September.

China, which had been on a good run with two consecutive wins after suffering a crushing loss to Japan, struggled to get a point against Japan at home, but eventually conceded the first goal. Chinese supporters who filled the stadium even interfered by shooting lasers at the faces of Japanese players during the game, but they could not prevent Japan from scoring.