Match Report · Sep 28, 2026
Ayase Ueda off the bench, twice: Japan comes from behind to beat Venezuela 2-1 in Hiroshima
Moriyasu changed ten of the eleven starters from the Uruguay win, and for a while in Hiroshima it showed. Venezuela went ahead right after the restart through Kevin Kelsy, and Edion Peace Wing went quiet. It did not last. Ayase Ueda, sent on at halftime, needed three minutes to answer, finishing Junya Ito's cross on 49'. Then, deep in stoppage time, VAR overturned an early penalty call and instead gave Japan a spot kick, and Ueda buried it for the winner (90+6'). Four players also picked up their first caps on the night, per GOAL Japan. It was not a pretty performance, and the Japanese press has said so, but two late winners in five days is a habit worth having. Next up: Ecuador at Nissan Stadium on October 1 to open the Kirin Cup.