After the first round of the top 18 matches, Japan swept the Chinese national team with a 7-0 victory. Immediately after the game, Japanese media commented on this match, believing that this overwhelming victory does not prove that the Japanese team is too strong, but rather indicates that the Chinese team is too weak and has collapsed under pressure from the Japanese team.
The Japanese media did not express excessive joy over the 7-0 victory and instead noted that the Chinese defense did not put any significant pressure on the Japanese team, allowing their offense to operate smoothly, “When Shogo Taniguchi had the ball, the Chinese defensive line did not press forward to challenge him, letting the Japanese team do as they pleased. And when the Japanese team lost possession, Ayase Ueda and Takehiro Tomiyasu immediately counter-pressed.”
The Japanese media believed that the beginning of China’s collapse was marked by Takumi Minamino scoring twice within six minutes in the second half, “Under pressure from Takumi Minamino, the Chinese team began to defend with a 5-3-2 formation, however, this is also when their collapse began, even showing signs of giving up.”
The Japanese media concluded by stating that this match showed more about China’s weakness than Japan’s strength, “This overwhelming victory finally allowed the Japanese team to shake off the nightmare of losing their opening matches in the previous two World Cup qualifiers in the Asian zone.”