National team striker Shinji Okazaki thanked his teammates for helping him reach 100 caps but warned the hard work is still to come after Japan topped its 2018 World Cup second-round qualifying group with a 5-0 win over Syria on Tuesday.
Japan made it through to the final round of Asian qualifiers without conceding a single goal after recording a perfect eighth clean sheet against the Syrians at Saitama Stadium.
A 17th-minute own goal gave Japan — which had already booked its place in the final round — a precarious lead until Shinji Kagawa made the result safe midway through the second half, and late goals from Keisuke Honda, Genki Haraguchi and another for Kagawa burnished the final score.
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