Match Report · Oct 5, 2026
Kirin Cup champions: Japan beats New Zealand 2-1 in Moriyasu's last match on home soil
Trophy in hand, and a proper send-off. Japan beat New Zealand 2-1 in the Kirin Cup Soccer 2026 final at Japan National Stadium in Tokyo on Monday, October 5, in front of more than 60,000 fans. It was the last match Hajime Moriyasu will coach on Japanese soil before Go Oiwa takes over next March. Ayase Ueda opened the scoring in the 28th minute. New Zealand answered four minutes later through Ben Old. Then, with Keito Nakamura and Junya Ito on from the bench, Ritsu Doan put Japan back in front in the 71st minute, and that goal won it. Japan outshot New Zealand 20 to 3 and lined up in a 4-2-3-1, a switch away from the back three we've mostly seen this cycle, and that flexibility is exactly what Moriyasu said he wanted to build. After the match he praised his players for being aggressive and persistent from the opening whistle, and his focus is already on what comes next: two more matches before the Asian Cup, and a group heading to Saudi Arabia confident it can win. That is four straight wins this window: Uruguay, Venezuela, Ecuador and now New Zealand. Next up is the Brazil rematch in Singapore on November 14, then Paraguay on November 17. Thank you, Moriyasu-san, for every night like this one at home. Let's finish the job in January.