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Photo by Kenta Harada/Getty Images

Japan made history today by becoming the first team to qualify for the 2026 World Cup following a 2-0 victory over Bahrain in their Asia Qualifiers clash.

Liverpool midfielder Wataru Endo, who captained the Samurai Blue, has featured prominently in the clash as he led his nation to the pinnacle of professional football.

Second-half goals from substitutes Daichi Kamada and Takefusa Kubo ensured the Samurai Blue will make their eighth consecutive World Cup appearance at next year’s tournament in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

After a frustrating first half where they dominated possession but failed to break through, Japan finally found their rhythm after coach Hajime Moriyasu made tactical substitutions.

Crystal Palace midfielder Daichi Kamada broke the deadlock in the 66th minute, just three minutes after coming off the bench.

The goal came from a well-worked move, with Takefusa Kubo providing the decisive reverse pass that Kamada calmly dispatched past Bahrain goalkeeper Ebrahim Lutfalla.

Kubo, who had been Japan’s most threatening player throughout, sealed the victory with an excellent finish from a tight angle in the 87th minute6

His curling left-footed shot added gloss to a performance that improved significantly after the break.

Wataru Endo vs Bahrain9

Endo had a strong showing, and was given a 6.5/10 by Yahoo Japan, who wrote:

“He was as tough as ever

He showed his strengths not only defensively, but also offensively, and created chances.”

Meanwhile, Tokyo TV Sports note that the Liverpool man was unlucky to not have scored, explaining that he saw a strike ruled out by VAR early on in the clash:

“Japan went on the offensive from the start, and in the ninth minute of the first half, Endo pushed in the ball in with his right foot following a corner, but [Feyenoord’s Ayase] Ueda’s arm was said to have hit the ball, and the goal was ruled out by hand ball.”

Speaking in a brief post-match interview as quoted by Soccer King Japan, Endo said:

“First of all, I am very happy that we were able to qualify for the tournament.”

“The way we put pressure on our opponents was quite good, and we were more forward than we expected, so we made some adjustments in the second half in terms of how we moved the ball, but we had to challenge ourselves as well as our opponents challenged us.”

Endo and Japan are next in action against Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, 25 September for a 10:35am GMT kick-off.

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