Mu Kanazaki marked his return from the international wilderness with his first national team goal as Japan whipped Singapore 3-0 on Thursday in a second-round Asian qualifier for the 2018 World Cup.
Kanazaki opened the scoring after 20 minutes with a fine effort and Keisuke Honda and Maya Yoshida also put their names on the scoresheet in a comfortable win that helped Japan erase the disappointment of being held to an embarrassing 0-0 draw in its opening qualifier at home to the Singaporeans in June.
The win puts Japan back in control of Group E with 13 points from five games, one ahead of idle Syria. Japan plays Cambodia in its last qualifier of the year in Phnom Penh on Tuesday.