<p>SEOUL — Japan stayed perfect in World Cup qualifying on Tuesday by routing Mongolia 14-0.</p>
<p>The Japanese scored five goals in the first half and added nine more in the second. The team leads Group F with 15 points from five matches. A victory over Myanmar in June will secure first place in the group and a spot in the third round of Asian qualifying.</p>
<p>Later Tuesday, Saudi Arabia will face Palestine in the only other qualifying match from the Asian region.</p>
<p>The eight group winners and four best second-place teams will advance to the third round of qualifying, which is scheduled to start in September.</p>
<p>Takumi Minamino, Yuya Osako, Daichi Kamada and Hidemasa Morita all scored in the first half, along with an own-goal from Mongolia defender Khash-Erdene Tuyaa.</p>
<p>Osako ended up with a hat trick, while Sho Inagaki, Junya Ito and Kyogo Furuhashi scored two goals each. Takuma Asano also scored.</p>
<p>The game had been scheduled to take place in Mongolia but was changed because of the coronavirus pandemic. The Asian Football Confederation decided this month to play all remaining Group F matches in Japan.</p>
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