Kamada’s Early Strike Makes Japan History in World Cup Milestone Match
Japan beat Tunisia in the 1,000th match in World Cup history, taking a 2-0 lead after 30 minutes in what looked like its first win at the 2026 World Cup. Hajime Moriyasu’s team controlled the game from the opening whistle, while Tunisia never appeared fully in it.
Daichi Kamada scored after 3.5 minutes, and the goal set two Japanese records. It was the fastest goal in Japan’s World Cup history, and it made Kamada only the second Japanese player ever to score in consecutive World Cup matches.
Kamada finished with his heel, becoming only the second player in the last decade to score that way at a World Cup. In both of the cited heel-goal cases against a team coached by Hervé Renard, the other example was Yago Aspas, who did it against Morocco in 2018.
The match was also notable as the 1,000th World Cup game played to date, underscoring the historical setting for Japan’s early breakthrough.
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