Japan hammer Indonesia to edge closer to World Cup spot

Japan hammered a hapless Indonesia side 4-0 yesterday, 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 Europe-born players before teaching them a footballing lesson. Japan coach Hajime Moriyasu said he was glad for the latest win but would not be satisfied until they qualified."I am happy that we are top of the group but we haven’t gained anything yet until we manage to secure the World Cup place,” he said of the team’s seven-point gap at the top of Asian Group C. "We just have to keep on winning. I set a very high goal to become world champions, but before this we have to play each game one-by-one, step-by-step. So I would just like to focus on the next game.”Japan remain unbeaten in the third round of qualifying at the halfway stage after four wins and a draw, all but guaranteeing them a World Cup berth bar an astonishing collapse. 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 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. Indonesia’s South Korean coach Shin Tae-yong rued those scuppered chances but said he was still hopeful about his team’s future. "I’m still looking forward. I still hope that we will finish third or fourth place in our table,” he said.