Japan beat Uruguay 3:1 in a Friendly International on 24 September 2026. The hosts started brightly, with K. Matsuki striking twice in the opening half-hour to take control of the fixture. Uruguay pulled one back through M. Araujo before half-time, but Japan's second-half surge proved decisive. The match finished with late goals adding to the entertainment value.
Matsuki made the difference early, opening the scoring in the eleventh minute before doubling his tally twelve minutes later. That rapid-fire exchange left Uruguay chasing the game, though Araujo found the net in the forty-second minute to level matters. Japan pushed forward again, with K. Shiogai and A. Ueda adding late goals to seal the result.
There were plenty of changes on both sides. Japan brought on K. Sano in the forty-sixth minute and made three more substitutions around the hour mark, including R. Doan and K. Itakura. Uruguay responded with their own changes, bringing on B. Rodriguez, F. Vinas, and R. Araujo in the sixty-eighth minute, while K. Sano returned for Japan in the seventy-seventh.
The statistics tell a story of two evenly matched teams. Both sides recorded 68 attacks, though Uruguay held a slight possession edge at 53 percent. Japan fired three shots on target while Uruguay managed six, with both teams hitting the woodwork twice. The hosts completed 193 passes compared to Uruguay's 176, suggesting a similar approach to build-up play.
Discipline was largely maintained throughout, with two yellow cards for each side. Japan's H. Ito and A. Seko joined Uruguay's R. Bentancur and J. Gimenez in the referee's notebook. The match ended with Japan moving past their recent struggles, having lost 2:1 to Brazil in their last outing before this victory.
