The Syrian national team faced a crushing defeat against their Japanese counterparts, losing 0-5 in a match held today, Tuesday, as part of the second round of the joint qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup and the 2027 Asian Cup. Japanese midfielder Takefusa Kubo opened the scoring for the Samurai in the 32nd minute, followed by his teammate forward Ayase Ueda, who added two quick goals at minutes 37 and 40 of the first half.
Japanese defender Yuki Narita Sugawara extended his team's lead early in the second half, specifically in the 47th minute, before his fellow forward Mao Hosoya capped off the Samurai's five-goal tally by scoring in the 82nd minute of the match, which took place at Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Stadium in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
This defeat marked Syria's first loss in the qualifiers after winning against North Korea 1-0 in their last match on Thursday, also at Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Stadium. With this result, Syria's points remain at three, dropping to third place in Group B standings, trailing North Korea on goal difference after North Korea defeated Myanmar 6-1 today as well.
Meanwhile, the Japanese team celebrated their second consecutive win, following a resounding 5-0 victory over Myanmar last Thursday at Panasonic Stadium Suita in Suita, Japan, and they now sit at the top of Group B with a perfect score of 6 points.
