Japan Under-20s Crush Cambodia 8-0 in Asian Qualifier

Japan's under-20 team overwhelmed host Cambodia 8-0 on Sept. 3, turning a close opening half into a late flood of goals in the second Group G match of the 2027 AFC Under-20 Asian Cup qualifiers.

Cambodia goalkeeper Farib Mat made several strong saves early on, but Japan's pressure eventually told. Nick Schmidt opened the scoring in the 26th minute when his powerful long-range shot took a deflection off Cambodia defender Loem Vattana. Japan captain Homare Tokuda headed in a second goal in the 44th minute.

Cambodia held out until the 68th minute, when Sunao Kidera scored from inside the penalty area. Japan then added five goals in less than 25 minutes. Futa Tokumura scored in the 74th, Asuto Fujita in the 78th and Ryuki Osa in the 89th. Loem Vattana and Vreak Phan also scored own goals, in the 80th minute and the third minute of stoppage time respectively.

The result put Japan top of Group G with six points. Cambodia remains second with three. In another match, Thailand beat Turkmenistan 1-0 to move temporarily top of Group F with six points.

The qualifying tournament runs from Aug. 31 to Sept. 6, 2026. The 31 teams are divided among eight groups hosted in Vietnam, Bahrain, Cambodia, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Qatar, Thailand and Uzbekistan. The eight group winners and the seven best second-place teams will qualify for the finals alongside hosts China.