The Carthage Eagles of Tunisia are on the brink of crashing out of the 2026 FIFA World Cup after a dominant 4-0 defeat in Monterrey to the Blue Samurai of Japan in the tournament’s 1,000th match on Sunday.

Japan’s Daichi Kamada opened the scoring in the fourth and 31st minutes, while Ayase Ueda made it two before half-time.

In the second half, Junya Ito added to the tally in the 69th minute, while Ueda found the net again to score his brace in the 83rd minute.

Japan is now second with four points in Group F, the same as first-placed Netherlands, on goal difference. Sweden is third with three points, while Tunisia, which has yet to pick up a point, are at the bottom.

Tunisia’s defeat came despite the appointment of Harvey Renard to replace Sabri Lamouchi on Monday, hours after a 5-1 trouncing by Sweden.

Speaking about the victory, Japan coach Hajime Moriyasu said, “It was ‌our second game of the World ‌Cup, ⁠a match of high tension, ⁠and one that people all over the world were watching. I am very happy that we were able ‌to secure a victory in such a game.”

On his part, Renard said, “It is not the performance we were hoping for. The score of this second match is heavy, but it reflects the difference between the two teams tonight.

“Even if we are eliminated, ‌we ⁠still have a third game to play. We are in a World Cup, and we must remain focused. It ⁠is important to get ready to fight for this third game against the Netherlands. It’s ⁠never easy after two losses in two games, but we must ⁠take our responsibilities to be professionals to the very end.”