On March 31, 2026, in an international friendly match held at Wembley Stadium, the Japanese national team defeated the English national team.1-0and toreHistoric first win against England for an Asian team.achieved a historic feat. In the 23rd minute, Kaoru Mitoma stole the ball from Cole Palmer and scored the winning goal himself during a rapid counter-attack.
Three-line summary of this article
1. Kaoru Mitoma scores the winning goal at Wembley! A historic feat as an Asian player achieves the first-ever victory against England.
2. British media like the BBC, Sky, and Guardian are shocked. Mitoma was MOM (8.17/10), Foden had the lowest score of 4.
3. Surging to 18th in the FIFA rankings. The Japanese national team's momentum for the World Cup finals is real.
This article presents a cross-section and cross-checked collection of local reactions from British media fans. Furthermore, we will provide a preliminary report on the FIFA Ranking live calculation system, which was introduced starting this month.
Part 1: British Media and Fan Reactions of Shock
BBC
BBC on Kaoru MitomaPlayer of the Match(8.17/10 points, top of both teams). "A disaster for England," reported. "Torn to shreds by Japan." Also sharply criticized for "lack of strategy" in Harry Kane's absence.
Sky Sports
To Foden4 pointsHis harsh assessment: "Mitoma stole the ball from Palmer to start the attack, and finished it perfectly himself."
The Guardian / TNT Sports
The Guardian: "A beautiful goal from a counter-attack. Mitoma started the move and finished it himself." TNT Sports: "Tuchel's World Cup hopefuls failed to impress."
Fan reaction
Wembley Stadium’s crowd booed after the match. Around 7,000 Japanese supporters rejoiced in their historic victory. SportBible reported, "Three players were cut from the World Cup squad."
English Media's "Light and Shadow": Japan's Acclaim vs. England's Scathing Criticism
📊 Part 2: Player Ratings (Combined English Media)
Now, let's look at the scores that caught our attention. Here's a compilation of scores from multiple media outlets, including the BBC and SportsDunia.
Kaoru Mitoma's rating? → MOM 8.17 (Top of both teams)
What's your rating for Foden? → Worst, 4/10 (did not function as a false nine)
Japan National Team Starting XI Ratings
| Player | BBC | Sports World | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| GK Ryotaro Suzuki | 7.22 | 6.0 | Save Rashford |
| DF Shogo Taniguchi | - | 6.5 | Solid CB |
| DF Takeshi Watanabe | 7.17 | 6.5 | DF Command |
| DF Hiroki Ito | - | 6.5 | 66 minutes substituted |
| MF Ito Junya | 7.39 | 6.0 | Contributes to offense and defense |
| MF Doan Ritsu (C) | 7.26 | 6.0 | Team leadership |
| MF Kaishu Sano | 7.32 | 7.0 | 4 tackles. Took control of the midfield. |
| MF Daichi Kamada | 7.16 | 6.5 | Game making |
| MF Keito Nakamura | 7.35 | 7.5 | Assist that led to the winning goal |
| FW Kaoru Mitoma | 8.17 | 8.0 | Mom |
| FW Ueda Ayase | 7.14 | 6.0 | Hit the crossbar |
Instructions:66': Ogawa, Koki (Ueda, Seko, Ayumu (Ito)) / 71': Suzuki, Shunsuke (Mitoma, Tanaka, Ao (Doan)) / 80': Machino, Shuto (Nakamura, Suzuki, Yuito (Ito), Sugawara, Yukinari (Kamada))
England National Team Key Player Ratings (Sky Sports)
| Player | Sky | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| GK Pickford | 6 | No responsibility for the goals conceded |
| DF Ben White | 5 | Stripped by Nakamura and involved in conceding a goal |
| MF Anderson | 8 | English best |
| MF Palmer | 5 | Lost possession to Mitoma, leading to the conceded goal. |
| FW Foden | 4 | Not fully functional as a false nine. |
Who do you choose for Man of the Match?
The British media selected Kaoru Mitoma, but what is your opinion? Let us know in the comments section!
Part 3: Impressive On-Site Comments About Japanese Players
Kaoru Mitoma (Brighton) — MOM 8.17/10
BBC former England representative Lee Dixon: "I have to say it was a wonderful goal. Palmer was dispossessed and Mitoma broke free. He ran to the edge of the penalty area and no one marked him."
Sky Sports: "Mitoma stole the ball from Palmer to start the attack, and then finished it perfectly himself."
It was also Mitoma who broke Pickford's 536-day unbeaten streak.
Keito Nakamura (Stade Reims) — 7.35/10
Goal.com: "Brilliant cross leaves Ben White trailing to assist the winning goal." He broke through on the right flank during a counter-attack, delivering a perfect grounded pass to Mitoma. English media, in the context of criticizing Ben White's defending, indirectly praised Nakamura's speed and judgment.
Kaishu Sano (Freiburg) - 7.32/10
SportsDunia: "4 successful tackles, dominated the match as the midfield anchor." Recorded the same number of successful tackles as Anderson, proving to be an equal or superior presence in the midfield battle for control.
Suzuki (Palma) — 7.22/10
Sky Sports rated his save on Rashford's second-half shot as "wonderful". He was the architect of Japan's clean sheet.
Ritsu Doan (Freiburg) — Captain. 7.26/10
Wearing the captain's armband, he led the team at Wembley, serving as the core of the team's organized defense and sharp counter-attacks.
📈 Part 4: FIFA Ranking Hot Update — Japan Rises to 18th + The Dawn of the Live Calculation Era
Japan, ranked 19th, rose to 18th
During the March international match daysScotland 1-0(29th),1-0 to EnglandThe Japanese national team, with two consecutive wins (on the 31st), is ranked in FIFA19th place to 18th placeIt has increased by one rank (Points: 1,653.78 / +3.66). This was achieved by overtaking Switzerland (which fell to 19th place).
⚠️ Supplement:FIFA's official live rankings are considered "provisional" and are officially confirmed after the end of the international matchday. As of the time of writing this article (April 1st), the live ranking is 18th.
Top 5 team movements
| Rank | 国 | Key Point | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Spain | 1,879.12 | +1.94 (Maintain) |
| 2 | France | 1,877.32 | +7.32 (up 1) |
| 3 | Argentina | 1,873.96 | +0.63 (↓1) |
| 4 | England | 1,832.62 | -1.50 (Maintain) |
| 5 | Portugal | 1,759.61 | -0.77 (↑1) |
France rises from 3rd to 2nd, while Argentina drops from 2nd to 3rd. England maintains 4th place despite losing to Japan (-1.50pt). Brazil falls from 6th to 7th, and Morocco records a significant jump to 8th with +17.44pt.
Korean Trends
South Korea is22nd(1,593.72pt). The gap with Japan is about 60 points, with a difference of 4 ranks. Depending on the performance of Asian teams in the World Cup finals, this difference could change further.
What is "Live Ranking" in the FIFA Ranking?
On March 18, 2026, FIFAReal-time ranking updateswas officially announced. The men's will be applied starting from the international match days in March 2026, and the women's will be applied starting from April.
- Real-time reflection:The provisional points and rankings are updated instantly every time a goal is scored during a match.
- The calculation formula is the same as before:The Elo rating model itself has not changed. The only thing that has changed is the "update timing."
- Tentative → ConfirmedTreated as provisional during the international window. Officially confirmed after all matches are completed and approved.
- Enhancing the Fan ExperienceReal-time confirmation of your country's ranking at this very moment while watching the game is possible.
* The information above has been confirmed by fact-checking from multiple public information sources (Source: FIFA Official inside.fifa.com).
🏁 Summary
The Japan national team's March expedition just before the 2026 World CupTwo consecutive victoriesand ending with the FIFA rankings18th PlaceIt surfaced. They made history by becoming the first Asian team to defeat England. Kaoru Mitoma's winning goal at Wembley was described by the British media as a "disaster for England." The Japanese national team's momentum is real heading into the World Cup finals (opening in June).
If you don't have tickets yet,Last-Minute Sale Complete GuidePlease also check out the new rules being introduced in this tournament!The Complete Guide to New RulesIt is explained in detail.
Read in conjunction with
- Last-Minute Sale Complete Guide — How to win the final ticket battle
- The Complete Guide to New Rules for the 2026 World Cup — Substitutions, Hourglass, and the 5-Second Rule: How the Game Changes Drastically
- AFCON Final Erupts in Controversy! The Truth Behind Morocco's "Awarded Victory" — World Cup host country's confusion
* The information in this article has been cross-checked and verified by multiple sources. Scoring data is based on publicly available information from BBC, Sky Sports, SportsDunia, etc. FIFA rankings refer to football-ranking.com (as of April 1st live value) and the official FIFA website.
Comments