Two neat finishes from Taisei Miyashiro and a flicked header from Kyosuke Tagawa helped earn all three points for the East Asians who, following a 1-1 draw with Ecuador in the opening match, are currently second in Group B behind table-topping Italy.

Japan shone brightly throughout the meeting with Mexico, hassling and harrying their Central American counterparts to great effect en route to a famous victory that Kageyama believes was a fine example of lessons well learned.

The Samurai Blue sealed their first win of the tournament, coming after they had fought back to hold Ecuador 1-1 in their opening match on Thursday.

With Italy beating Ecuador 1-0 in the group's second match of the day, Japan's chances of reaching the knockout stage are bright.

Reigning AFC U-19 Championship winners Saudi Arabia were defeated 2-0 by France while Korea Republic were edged 1-0 by two-time FIFA U-20 World Cup champions Portugal.

The Flying Eagles, runners-up to a Joao Pinto-propelled Portugal in 1989 and a Lionel Messi-inspired Argentina in 2005, soared 2-0 up inside 25 minutes – and both goals were indebted to their left-back.

Ikouwem Utin duped his marker and unleashed a swerving shot, which Shehab Mamdouh could only push into the path of Maxwell Effiom, whose first-time volley broke the deadlock in the 12th minute.

The Nigeria No 3 then somehow sprung four challenges down the left and cut the ball back to present Okechukwa Offia with a comfortable finish from close range in the 24th minute.

That remarkable success did not come out of the blue. For the last few years, Qatari football officials have overseen an in-depth effort to raise standards, most notably through the Aspire Academy, which has already produced several players for the country's international teams – including the squad now in Poland for the FIFA U-20 World Cup.

Qatar kick off their bid against Nigeria on Friday, and their youngsters do not have to look far for inspiration. They will have their senior colleagues at the forefront of their minds, as left-back Ahmed Al Minhali explained to FIFA.com in an exclusive interview.

Ecuador took the lead right before half-time, albeit rather fortuitously. From a free-kick, Japan goalkeeper Tomoya Wakahara punched his clearance directly into teammate Kyosuke Tagawa's face and the ball ricocheted into the goal.

Two of the three Asian expressions of interest could see the 2021 edition co-hosted as Bahrain Football Association, Saudi Arabian Football Federation and United Arab Emirates Football Association have indicated theirs will be a joint bid.

The Myanmar Football Federation and Football Association of Thailand are also keen on co-hosting the 2021 edition while Indonesia also expressed their intention to bid before the May 21 closing date.

The Brazilian Football Association and Peruvian Football Association submitted individual expressions of interest.