Saitama: Shinji Kagawa scored a brace as hosts Japan thrashed Syria 5-0 in their 2018 FIFA World Cup/2019 AFC Asian Cup Preliminary Round Two final joint-qualifying match at Saitama Stadium on Tuesday.
The Japanese, who already qualified for the final qualifying round of Russia 2018 and UAE 2018 finals before the game by occupying top position of Group E, while the Syrians are in second spot and still have hopes of qualifying as one of the four best second-place finishers depending on the results in the night’s other games.
Japn had almost total dominance with 70 percent of the ball with an own goal by Syria’s Hamdi Al Massri opening the scoring on 18 minutes.
Japan could have doubled the advantage a minute later but for Ibrahim Alma’s great save with his leg which denied an onrushing Kagawa’s drive before the game went into the break.
Kagawa finally found his goal 11 minutes after the restart thanks to a Keisuke Honda tee-up which the Borussia Dortmund midfielder controlled regally with his chest before striking past Alma.
The Japanese made it 3-0 on 86 minutes, this time Kagawa turning provider on the Japan left which connected with Honda whose delightful looping header found Syria’s net.
Kagawa completed his brace and scored Japan’s fourth goal on the stroke of full-time after capitalising on a rebound off of Alma deep in the Syrian penalty area.
Substitute Genki Haraguchi then slotted past Alma three minutes into stoppage time of the second half and made it 5-0 to complete Vahid Halilhodzic’s rout of the visitors.
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