Japan hammer Indonesia to edge closer to World Cup spot

November 16, 2024 00:00:00

Indonesia's Ragnar Oratmangoen (L) and Japan's Koki Machida fight for the ball during the 2026 World Cup Asian Group C qualification football match between Indonesia and Japan at the Gelora Bung Karno Stadium in Jakarta on Friday — AFP

JAKARTA, Nov 15 (AFP): Japan hammered a hapless Indonesia side 4-0 on Friday, extending their lead at the top of qualifying for the 2026 World Cup and edging them closer to an eighth consecutive spot at football's premier spectacle.

Despite several early scares in front of more than 70,000 fans in Jakarta, the Blue Samurai eventually carved open a home team filled with European-born players before teaching them a footballing lesson.

Crystal Palace's Daichi Kamada cut past a defender in the 35th minute and squared the ball across goal, with Indonesia's Justin Hubner being credited with an own goal as he tried to stop striker Koki Ogawa from tapping in.

That broke more than half an hour of stubborn Indonesian resistance in heavy rain before Japan took their foot off the brakes, doubling their lead just five minutes later when Monaco's Takumi Minamino smashed in a low shot off the left upright.

Sporting Lisbon's Hidemasa Morita capitalised on a mistake by Indonesian goalkeeper Maarten Paes before substitute Yukinari Sugawara smashed in a fourth to seal the thumping.

Japan are now at the top of Group C by seven points at the halfway stage of the third round of Asian qualifying for 2026, all but guaranteeing them a World Cup berth bar an astonishing collapse.

Japan will go away to China on Tuesday knowing that another win would almost cement their World Cup place, while Indonesia face Saudi Arabia, who are fighting for second joint on six points with Australia and China.

Just the top two seal their place at the 2026 World Cup in North America, with third and fourth forced into another round of Asian qualifying.

Defeat consigned Indonesia to the bottom spot in the group of six, and three points off a coveted top-four spot.

It was the hosts who missed the most glaring chances in the first half.

The best came when striker Ragnar Oratmangoen was put through on goal in the ninth minute, but he delayed his strike and fired it straight at Japan's goalkeeper, Zion Suzuki.

The misses proved costly as Japan showed their class, cruising to an easy win in the second half as Indonesia tried in vain to nick a consolation goal.