Uganda Rhinos stormed into the Tier C quarterfinals of the FIFA U-15 World Cup & Festival after a stunning second-half blitz saw them crush Japan 4-0 in Azerbaijan on Wednesday.

The Rhinos were held scoreless in the opening 20 minutes but erupted after the break, scoring all four goals in an eight-minute spell to put the last-16 tie beyond Japan.

Jefferson Kwikiriza opened the scoring in the 32nd minute before Jonah Muwanguzi doubled Uganda’s lead three minutes later.

Angello Kasumba then made it 3-0 in the 36th minute, with Ivan Kiganda completing the rout in the 40th minute.

With each half lasting just 20 minutes, Uganda’s four-goal burst came in the closing eight minutes and underlined their attacking quality when it mattered most.

The victory adds to Uganda’s strong run in Azerbaijan. After opening with a narrow 4-3 defeat to Kyrgyz Republic, the Cubs responded with a 6-0 win over Equatorial Guinea and a 5-1 victory against Cabo Verde to finish the group stage with six points.

They carried that momentum into the knockout phase, with Japan unable to withstand Uganda’s second-half surge.

Uganda will now face Belarus on Thursday in the Tier C quarterfinals after Belarus edged Chile 2-1 in their Round of 16 tie.

The Rhinos will be aiming to maintain their momentum and move into the Tier C semifinals when they meet Belarus.