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The story
At the Kirin Cup, Japan played out a scoreless 0-0 draw with Ecuador through full time and went to a penalty shootout. With goalkeeper Zion Suzuki coming up big in goal, Japan won it 5-4. Forward Shiogai Kento, who’d come on as a substitute in the 86th minute, was lined up to take Japan’s seventh penalty — but the shootout was decided before his turn came around. When asked afterward whether he’d wanted to take one, he reportedly answered, “I didn’t really care either way.” Once that quote made the rounds, 5ch lit up over Shiogai’s short playing time, reports that coach Nakamura Shunsuke sets the kicking order using data, and comparisons with other national team players.
Soccer, Kirin Cup (Oct. 1, Japan 0-0 Ecuador — Japan win 5-4 on penalties, Nissan Stadium)
Japan, ranked 17th in the FIFA World Rankings (as of July 20, same throughout), took on 25th-ranked Ecuador. The match ended scoreless after full time, sending it to a shootout, which Japan won 5-4 with goalkeeper Zion Suzuki (24, Aston Villa) coming up with key saves.
Forward Shiogai Kento (21, Wolfsburg), who came on in the 86th minute on the left of the front two, spoke calmly afterward: “I wanted to play a bit more. I want to keep pushing myself in training so I get used next time.” He’d apparently been slated to take Japan’s seventh penalty. Asked, “Did you want to take one?” he answered flatly, “I didn’t really care either way.”
Source: sanspo.com / Original article here
What people said
Don't pick a method that causes trouble for other people, man.
With a show-of-hands system you just get the image of some center-back like Yoshida Maya volunteering and blazing it over, so this way's better.
But except for Soma, the keeper was reading everyone and it was razor-thin — felt like a Croatian keeper would've saved a few of those. Over-relying on penalties for the real thing isn't good; you need to win it properly within the match itself.
Ueda might've been brought on in the second half just to have him ready for kicks, but the actual scoring chances in this match came in the first half, so I think just starting Ueda would've let them win it properly in open play. Suzuki Yuito not converting kept coming up and it was a waste.
Probably reminds him of Honda lol
Well, one's an extrovert and the other's an introvert.
That's not the right answer.
It does happen that they decide it right there on the pitch — against Paraguay, Germany's Goretzka refused to take one, so Ter Stegen, who'd never taken a competitive penalty before, stepped up and missed.
Nobody would raise their hand, so Minamino reluctantly did, and ended up missing the very first kick…
Except for Soma, the keeper was reading everyone and it was razor-close — a Croatian keeper might've saved those.
He's basically a full-blown celebrity at this point.
Someone out there wants to make him stand out for the wrong reasons and take him down a peg.
He's already warming the bench in the German second division, so there's nowhere left to fall…
So basically Shiogai's saying "it's not my fault," huh lol
Being slotted 7th means he's rated decently enough, no? He has been getting a bit more playing time lately too.
But Moriyasu's stepping down as manager soon, so it won't matter anyway. Though it was only after Oiwa stopped picking him that Moriyasu started using him.
This guy can barely get on the pitch as it is — he's nowhere near Nakata's level.
Not being intimidated by foreign players is one similarity, I'll give him that.
It's not that they hate him, it's more wariness — he's being treated like he's radioactive. People are catching on that this guy's a loose cannon.
It'd be fine if he were actually delivering results, but…
He wasn't kicking it like "this seals the win," more like "first thing at dinner, start with the miso soup" energy lol
Apparently he felt relaxed about it — scoring would win it, but missing wouldn't lose it either, so no pressure.
He's turning into the soccer world's Watanabe Nagisa (a celebrity known more for buzz than for her actual work). He might end up famous for reasons that have nothing to do with soccer before long. Honestly, I don't even know what Shiogai's playing style actually is — and in a way, that makes him an impressive player, getting this much buzz without anyone knowing that.
Background and Talking Points
Penalty order used to often be settled by players simply raising their hands, but more national teams are now deciding it ahead of time based on data analysis, and the thread picked up on reports that coach Nakamura Shunsuke is behind that process for Japan. Shiogai Kento has seen limited playing time at Wolfsburg even since the club’s relegation to Bundesliga 2, and that disconnect — “he barely plays, yet gets all this attention” — is what’s driving the split opinions in the thread. There’s also a reminder that shootout success depends heavily on the opposing keeper’s reads and a player’s composure under pressure, so praising one converted kick too much is premature; several posters argued fans should judge the whole match, not just the shootout.
*This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Geinou/Sports News+) thread “[Soccer] Shiogai Kento comes on in the 86th minute, shootout ends before his turn — “I asked Moriyasu, ‘Do I look bad at penalties?’”“.
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