Japan came to the National Stadium to exact revenge on Singapore after the draw in Saitama, and did that convincingly with a 3-0 victory.

Japan ended Singapore’s dream run in the 2018 World Cup qualifiers at the National Stadium, thumping three past the Lions, in what was mostly a one-sided affair.

Mu Kanazaki and Keisuke Honda etched their names on the socresheet in the first half while Maya Yoshida added the third three minutes from the end.

Singapore’s game plan was clear off the bat; they were going to park the bus and hope to catch Japan on the break.

Faris Ramli’s attempt to chase a clearance in the second minute was an indication of Bernd Stange’s ideas. The winger ran for the ball, but stopped short at the halfway line to wait for the Japanese to attack again.

Izwan Mahbud repeated his stellar performance in Saitma when he faced the fearsome Nippon side on home soil.

Seven minutes into the game, Izwan was called into action to parry a low shot which needed an added boot out of the box to clear the danger.

Three minutes after his first heroics, the Singapore custodian was on hand to pick up a through ball that would have seen his team go one goal down.

Japan came very close to breaking the deadlock in the 16th minute, but again it was Izwan in their way as he made a triple save to deny both Honda and Yoshida.

However, the proverbial brick wall was finally broken down when Japan’s slick and accurate passing was too much for the Lions to handle.

In the 20th minute, Kanazaki calmly controlled a ball that was headed down into his path near the penalty spot, and his resulting shot was unstoppable.

The Japanese continued their dominance, not allowing Singapore any time on the ball–closing out the space and intercepting their predictable passing.

Their efforts paid off six minutes later when Japan doubled their lead via Honda. As the Lions’ defence was in a complete disarray, the experienced midfielder pulled the trigger in the heart of Singapore’s defence. However, the ball took a wicked deflection and left Izwan stranded.

The Lions’ spirit looked like it was completely gone after they conceded the second, and that allowed the visitors the confidence to press on for a third goal.

The unorthodoxed passing continued as Singapore sat back and waited for the Japanese offence.

Masato Morishige was gifted the space to run all the way from the defence, feint a shot and eventually pull the trigger just outside the box. But his effort was just wide of the left post–Izwan made the dive to make sure it stayed out.

Two minutes from halftime, the Lions were lucky that Yoshida’s bullet of a shot from 30 yards was directly at Izwan.

The second half started with the home side two goals down and that forced Stange to replace Fazrul Nawaz who struggled to make an impact in the first period. In his place was the pacy Sahil Suhaimi.

Despite the substitution, it was Japan who threatened first.

Honda was at the end of a pinpoint cross from the left after he tussled with Madhu Mohana to head towards goal. The resulting header, however, was over the bar.

In the 52nd minute, Yoshiniro Muto was at the end of another telling pass that left the entire Singapore defence caught out. At a tight angle he attempted a shot and opted for power over accuracy, which saw the ball swerve towards the corner flag instead.

Japan held a majority of the possession from this point and created several chances for a third goal. Unselfish passing saw Kanazaki in a prime postion to score. He beat Shakir Hamzah and Baihakki Khaizan for pace, but his shot lacked power to go past Izwan.

Frustration grew for the Lions and it was shown when Safuwan miscontrolled a cross to him and he followed it with an ‘air-kick’ when he attempted to send the ball into the Japanese penalty area.

The visitors continued to display their fitness and composure to an inferior Lions side, who seemed to always be one step behind.

Nevertheless, the home side finally had a decent attempt at goal after Baihakki was found in the area from a setpiece. His header, however, was just off target.

Seven minutes later, it was Hafiz who came close to pulling one back. Safuwan and Faris exchanged passes on the right and the latter found Hafiz with a nifty cross. However, Hafiz was denied by the woodwork.

It was all Japan in the next few minutes. They did well to pass through the Singapore defence for the umpteenth time and finally found the back of the net in the 80th minute, but before they could celebrate, the linesman flagged for offside.

The Nippon barrage continued and even though Izwan made several saves to deny them, including an off-the-line clearance by Nazrul Nazari, Singapore couldn’t hold out in the 87th minute. After a goalmouth melee, Maya Yoshida poked the ball into the net for Japan’s third.

The visitors exuberated their dominance despite the three-goal cushion and ended the game deserved winners at the National Stadium.