Celtic stars Maeda and Kyogo help Japan move to brink of World Cup qualification as fan storms pitch in tense China clash

Daizen Maeda and Kyogo both featured for Japan in a hostile World Cup qualifier with China - which was briefly halted by a pitch invader who had to be apprehended by security.

Tensions were high between the two nations who met in Xiamen on Tuesday for the first tiem in nine years. Before kickoff, the match announcer was forced to urge 'civility and respect,' and issued a plea to 'avoid conflict' after Japanese nationals were allegedly targeted in two separate attacks earlier this year.

There was a heavy police presence for the first encounter between the two teams since 2015 and loud booing drowned out the Japanese national anthem before kickoff. And while the game got started without incident, it soon had to be halted after a pitch invader with Chinese characters reading 'Rise of national football' painted on his back ran past security and approached Japanese goalkeeper Zion Suzuki.

He was quickly apprehended and the game continued, with Celtic stars Kyogo and Maeda both coming off the bench in the second half while Reo Hatate remained an unused sub. Japan won 3-1, reasserting their control of the group as they remain on course to qualify for the 2026 World Cup.

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