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The story
On October 5, Japan’s national team faced New Zealand in the Kirin Cup final at the National Stadium, winning 2-1 to claim the title for the first time in 15 years. Kubo Takefusa was involved in the build-up to the opening goal, while Doan Ritsu scored the winner. Since Kubo married actress Fukuhara Haruka this past offseason, and the broadcast caught his wife in the stands, thread discussion focused less on the match itself and more on judging Kubo’s individual performance. Praise for Tanaka Ao’s strong showing stood in sharp contrast to the harsh criticism directed at Kubo and Shiogai.
◆Kirin Cup, Final: Japan 2-1 New Zealand (Oct. 5, MUFG National Stadium)
Chasing a fourth straight win in this international window and the Kirin Cup title, Japan’s national team took on New Zealand and won 2-1, capturing the Kirin Cup for the first time in 15 years. Treating New Zealand as a stand-in for Australia ahead of their Asian Cup title bid, Japan lined up in a four-back defense (DF Suzuki Jun, Nakano, Ito, Seko).
[Photo] Fukuhara Haruka is here!! Cheering on her husband Kubo Takefusa from the stands!
Source: news.yahoo.co.jp / Original article here
What people said
The opponent was so weak it was almost cringe
Was totally useless out there lol
Kubo's play was just awful lol lol lol
Feel bad for Fukuhara having to watch that
To be fair, Kubo did start the move for the opening goal
Kubo
Cut from Sociedad's lineup
Cut from the national team's lineup
What's he gonna do now
Tanaka Ao shuts down the opponent's attacking space, that's why the team wins
Tanaka Ao's win rate at Leeds is insanely high too
Best on the team
Win rate drops by 30% when he's not playing
If you're out wide and can't dribble vertically, what's even the point.
Please just put Miyadai in already
Same thing happens at Sociedad lol
Shame it wasn't a goal right at the final whistle though.
Can't give that performance a pass
This guy never learns
The E-1 Championship was already his first title
He'll probably lose his spot to Suzuki Shoto before long
He's the type who can both assist and score, so I'd say he's more useful than Shiogai
Background and Key Talking Points
The Kirin Cup is a friendly tournament hosted by the Japan Football Association, and this marks Japan’s first title in it in 15 years. New Zealand sits far below Japan in the FIFA World Rankings, so the thread’s recurring “the opponent was just too weak” take is a fairly natural reaction given the gap in ability. The split opinions on Kubo Takefusa, on the other hand, stem from his limited playing time at his club, Real Sociedad. Despite the fact that he set up the opening goal, posters kept calling him “surplus to requirements” — a sign that frustration over his club situation bled into how his national-team performance was judged. The harsh comments toward Shiogai (Shiogai Koki) follow the same pattern, driven by his lack of playing time at club level. Note also that the post claiming “Moriyasu’s first title!” was corrected by another poster pointing out that the E-1 Championship was already his first title — a reminder that it’s easy to misjudge Moriyasu’s track record if you’re not following it closely.
*This article is an excerpt and summary based on the 5ch (Geinou/Sports News+) thread “[Soccer] Rookie dad Doan Ritsu nets the winner! Japan wins Kirin Cup for first time in 15 years! Newlywed Kubo Takefusa also sets up the opening goal in front of wife Fukuhara Haruka.”
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