Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Goa: Shimpei Fukuoka and Takefusa Kubo both netted braces in a dominant performance by Japan as they laid down a marker in their AFC U-16 Championship India 2016 Group B opener with a 7-0 thrashing of Vietnam on Friday at GMC Stadium.
Kubo opened the scoring on 15 minutes with a superb set-piece strike before Japan captain Fukuoka made it 2-0 before the half hour mark. Taisei Miyashiro then added the pick of the goals with a left-footed rocket before halftime to leave Vietnam with a mountain to climb.
Fukuoka completed his brace on the 50th minute, Kubo added another superb individual effort and provided the assist for Takumu Kemmotsu’s goal before Hirota Yamada made the final score 7-0 as Japan leapt to the top of the Group B ahead of Kyrgyzstan who earlier handed Australia a shock 1-0 defeat.
Two-times champions Japan started brightly and Keito Nakamura had the first chance to open the scoring on 11 minutes but drilled his low show narrowly wide of Nguyen Nhat Truong’s right-hand post.
Kubo has made recent headlines in Japan after being cleared to play for FC Tokyo’s top-flight team, which could make him the youngest ever to appear in the J. League’s first division, and the former Barcelona prodigy gave testament to his talent with the game’s opener on the quarter-hour mark with a sublimely struck curling free-kick from outside the D.
Japan did not have to wait long for a second either, as Fukuoka doubled the advantage on 24 minutes as he rolled the ball past Nhat Truong after an adroit one-touch volley pass from Nakamura into the penalty area.
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