PHNOM PENH, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) -- Host Cambodia suffered an 8-0 defeat to Japan in its Group G match of the AFC U-20 Asian Cup China 2027 Qualifiers at the Olympic Stadium on Thursday night.
Japan broke the deadlock in the 26th minute through a clinical strike from Nick Schmidt before captain Homare Tokuda doubled the lead with a powerful header in the 44th minute.
Japan increased the pressure in the second half, scoring five goals in a 21-minute spell. Sunao Kidera opened the second-half scoring in the 68th minute, followed by strikes from Futa Tokumura in the 74th, Asuto Fujita in the 78th and Jelani Ren Mcghee in the 81st. Ryuki Osa then added a seventh in the 89th minute.
Cambodia's night ended with further disappointment deep into stoppage time when captain Phan Vireak deflected the ball into his own net in the 93rd minute while attempting a clearance.
Group G features Cambodia, Yemen, Japan and Kuwait, with Cambodia hosting all group matches from Aug. 31 to Sept. 6.
Cambodia now has one win and one defeat in the tournament, having previously secured a 2-1 victory over Yemen on Monday.
Cambodia will look to bounce back when it wraps up its group-stage campaign against Kuwait on Sept. 6.
According to the AFC, a total of 31 teams from across Asia are competing across eight groups in the qualifiers. The eight group winners and seven best second-placed teams will secure places in the finals, joining host China for the 43rd edition of the AFC U-20 Asian Cup next year. ■
