Japan's Ayase Ueda (left) celebrates after Australia scored an own goal during the Fifa World Cup 2026 Asian zone qualifiers at Saitama Stadium on Tuesday. — AFP
Australia managed to halt Japan's impressive start in the third phase of Asia's World Cup qualifiers but missed out on a surprising victory over the group leaders when a Cameron Burgess own goal resulted in a 1-1 draw at Saitama Stadium on Tuesday. Burgess inadvertently put the ball into his own net 14 minutes before the final whistle, following an earlier own goal by Shogo Taniguchi that had given the Australians hope of securing a second consecutive World Cup qualifying win under new coach Tony Popovic. Despite facing challenges due to traffic congestion around Saitama, the Australians managed to secure the draw.
Australia captain Jackson Irvine praised his team's resilience, stating, "My experience as part of this team is that in the most difficult moments that's when the boys stand up, no excuses." He added, "To put in a performance like that tonight, I'm very proud of everybody. The calmness and composure we had to show, having to defend in hard moments right to the very last ball, it's a top foundation for us to move forward with."
The result brought Japan's streak of consecutive wins in World Cup qualifiers to a halt at nine, during which Hajime Moriyasu's side had not conceded a goal. Japan remains at the top of Group C with 10 points from four games, while Australia, in second place, has accumulated five points since Popovic took over from Graham Arnold.
Popovic adopted an ultra-defensive formation, which proved effective as Australia managed to stifle Japan's attack, which had scored 14 times in the previous three games. The former defender made six changes to the team that defeated China 3-1 in his first game in charge, including giving 34-year-old Macarthur FC midfielder Luke Brattan his international debut.
Ao Tanaka started for Japan in place of Liverpool midfielder Wataru Endo, and it was Tanaka who set up Takefusa Kubo for an early chance, though the Real Sociedad player missed the target. Kaoru Mitoma also had a shot deflected wide by Australia defender Jason Geria before halftime. Japan dominated the game until the 58th minute when Lewis Miller's low cross from the right led to Taniguchi's own goal. The introduction of Keito Nakamura added more penetration down the left, and it was Nakamura who eventually unlocked the defense, leading to Burgess's own goal that secured a point for the hosts.
