Japan concluded its home-based World Cup preparations with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Iceland on Sunday at the National Stadium in Tokyo, as substitute Koki Ogawa’s 87th-minute header sent the Samurai Blue to the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico on a high note. In front of more than 60,000 fans, Hajime Moriyasu’s side struggled to break down a stubborn Icelandic defense for long periods, but the late winner offered the kind of grinding result the coach believes his team will need in the tournament. Ogawa, one of 11 substitutions made by Moriyasu, rose to meet Yukinari Sugawara’s cross from the right and nodded the ball in off the inside of the post past a frustrated Hákon Valdimarsson, giving Japan a sixth successive win and a third victory in as many meetings with Iceland.
The match carried the mood of a testimonial as 37-year-old Maya Yoshida, who captained Japan at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, was recalled for a final farewell almost four years after his previous international appearance. Yoshida, who is not in the World Cup squad, started in defense alongside Takehiro Tomiyasu, the former Arsenal defender making his first international appearance in nearly two years as he continues to build fitness. Yoshida left the pitch to a guard of honour from both teams in the 13th minute and passed the captain’s armband to Liverpool midfielder Wataru Endo, who also returned from an injury-affected season.
Japan threatened early through Keito Nakamura, who started on the left in place of the injured Kaoru Mitoma, but Iceland nearly struck in the 30th minute when Logi Tomasson’s first-time left-foot shot from 25 yards bent narrowly wide of Zion Suzuki’s post. Valdimarsson, the Brentford goalkeeper, produced several strong saves to deny Takefusa Kubo, Nakamura, Tomiyasu and Ko Itakura, while Suzuki kept out Dagur Dan Thorhallsson late in the first half. Ogawa himself had a 62nd-minute effort drift wide before finally breaking the deadlock with three minutes remaining.
Moriyasu said the performance was valuable because World Cup matches often unfold in similar fashion. “It was difficult to break Iceland open and they had some dangerous chances on the counter-attack,” he explained. “But we kept a clean sheet and won, and you get games like that at the World Cup, so this will help us.” Japan, now unbeaten in seven matches with five consecutive clean sheets, opens its Group F campaign against the Netherlands on June 14, followed by Sweden and Tunisia. They will be without winger Kaoru Mitoma, ruled out after a hamstring injury suffered less than a week before the squad announcement. Iceland, which did not qualify for the World Cup, fell to a fifth straight winless outing ahead of a meeting with world champions Argentina.
