AFC U-22: Japan off to strong start in qualifiers

ALL content used in this not-for-profit blog remain the property of their respective owners.
http://ht.ly/1l7K7a

Group E
Singapore 2-1 Timor Leste
Japan 6-0 Macau
Indonesia 0-1 Australia

Japan got their AFC U-22 Asian Cup qualifying campaign off to the perfect start on Thursday as they crushed Macau 6-0 in Group E at the Kaharudin Nasution Stadium.

Ryuji Hirota fired the Samurai Blue ahead in the 18th minute, before Hiroki Akino grabbed a second seven minutes later to give his side a comfortable lead at the break.

Albirex Niigata forward Musashi Suzuki then grabbed a second-half hat-trick along with a further strike from substitute Daiki Watari to cap off an impressive display from the Japanese.

Fellow continental powerhouse Australia also got their campaign off to a winning start, although they were made to toil in their 1-0 win over group hosts Indonesia, with Anthony Proia scoring the only goal of the game in first-half stoppage time.

In the group's final game, Singapore recorded an unconvincing 2-1 win over Southeast Asian rivals Timor Leste.

Gombak United prodigy Fareez Farhan opened the scoring a minute before the break, but Timor Leste levelled matters in the 66th minute when Diogo Rangel netted from the spot.

It took Mike Wong's men until the 81st minute to grab the winner when defender Madhu Mohana ventured forward and found the back of the net.

The next round of games in Group E takes place on Saturday.