The future of Japan’s promising attack was on full display Tuesday as the Samurai Blue put four goals past the vaunted defense of the world’s fifth-ranked side, Uruguay.
Tucked in behind Werder Bremen striker Yuya Osako was 20-year-old Groningen starlet Ritsu Doan, 23-year-old Red Bull Salzburg forward Takumi Minamino and 24-year-old Portimonense midfielder Shoya Nakajima, and the quartet combined to provide the likes of Diego Godin, Sebastian Coates, Lucas Torreira and Rodrigo Bentancur a nightmarish night at Saitama Stadium.
England’s impressive 3-2 win over Spain in Seville had its fair share of landmarks. The defeat was the first of Luis Enrique’s reign as boss, and it was also Spain’s first home loss since 2003. Raheem Sterling, who had a brace, scored his first international goal in 1,102 days, and England’s first goal in Spain since 1987. Harry Kane, who was signaled out for praise before the match by Sergio Ramos, had his first-ever two-assist match for the Three Lions.
The USWNT booked passage to the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup with an imperious 6-0 victory over Jamaica on Sunday night, and setup a much-anticipated CONCACAF Women’s Championship final against Canada in the process.
With automatic qualification hanging in the balance, the U.S. raced out to a 5-0 lead by the 33rd minute, and it would be ridiculous to single out an individual for praise in the face of such overall team excellence.
Panama kept Canada in check for 44 minutes Sunday, but a seven-goal, 34-minute spell ended the Central American’s hopes of an astonishing upset at the semifinal stage of the CONCACAF Women’s Championship. By advancing to the final, Canada secured automatic qualification to the 2019 Women’s World Cup in France, where it’ll look to improve on a quarterfinal showing at the 2015 finals on home soil.