Returning midfielder Ao Tanaka scored the early winner as Japan saw off North Korea 1-0 at home in World Cup qualifying on Thursday, in the Samurai Blue's first action since being knocked out of the Asian Cup at the quarterfinal stage.
A third straight Group B win in the second round of Asian qualifying for the 2026 World Cup will take some pressure off manager Hajime Moriyasu after he came under fire for his team's performance at the recent Asian Cup in Qatar.
Japan, currently 18th in the FIFA rankings, will reach the final round if they beat world No. 114 North Korea on Tuesday in a match originally scheduled for Pyongyang, but which is set to be moved, according to sources.
Without regular starting wingers Junya Ito and Kaoru Mitoma at Tokyo's National Stadium, Moriyasu also opted to leave the team's regular captain, Liverpool standout Wataru Endo, on the bench along with main attacking outlet Takefusa Kubo. But the home side needed just two minutes to unlock North Korean defense.
Ueda fooled two defenders down in the left corner with a clever backheel and Tanaka's cross to the far post was headed into the mix by Ritsu Doan for Takumi Minamino, who could not get a clean connection. But Doan recovered the loose ball and his cutback was expertly swept into the net by Tanaka, marking his return to the fold with a flourish after he was overlooked for the Asian Cup.
"I feel we might have made things difficult for ourselves," Tanaka said. "Winning was the most important thing and it's positive in a sense that we can reflect after getting a win."
Daizen Maeda and Hidemasa Morita steered wide before Doan's volley from the edge pf the box drew a diving save from visiting keeper Kang Ju Hyok in a frenetic start.
In a first half dominated by the home side, Doan failed to make use of three more chances -- the last a one-on-one with the keeper two minutes before the break.
Japan were nearly dealt a sucker punch two minutes after play resumed, however, when North Korea momentarily looked to have equalized. But the goal was ruled out after the assistant referee raised his flag for a foul.
Maeda showed his blistering pace but Ueda shot over at the other end before Moriyasu brought on Endo in the 58th minute for the solid Morita, adding more steel to deal in response to the visitors upping the tempo and intensity in the second half.
Wild lunges by the visitors on Yukinari Sugawara and Maeda raised the tension inside the venue before Ueda dragged wide Japan's best chance in the second half with 10 minutes to go, but it did not prove costly as the hosts saw the game out.
"It was an extremely tough battle, but it's positive to keep a clean sheet," Endo said.
"They were starting to take control of the game a bit, and I was aware of the need to not dropping back and go pressing high. I think I managed to change that by telling my teammates from the back."
After originally agreeing to host Tuesday's game, North Korea appear to have changed their stance following reports on "a malignant infectious disease" in Japan, a reference to rising cases of fulminant hemolytic streptococcal infection, according to the sources.
