Shinji Kagawa delivered a reminder of his quality on Tuesday as he led Japan to a 2-1 victory over Colombia in their World Cup opener.
The Borussia Dortmund playmaker put in a mature, high-quality display, slotting home from the spot and serving as the focal point of his side’s attack.
Here’s an in-depth look at the Japanese No 10’s performance.
KEY STATS
Goals – 1
Assists – 0
Shots – 2
Shots on target – 1
Pass accuracy – 88%
Key Passes – 2
Dribbles – 1
Touches – 54
30-SECOND REPORT
Entrusted with being his side’s chief creative force, Kagawa displayed the quality that’s made him such a star both in his country and in Europe. As always, he found pockets of spaces to operate and showed excellent vision and passing ability to put his teammates in scoring positions.
Dealt with the high-pressure situation of a penalty – which he had earned – with composure, shaking off the long wait as Colombia protested before striking a coolly-placed spot-kick to score.
GOT RIGHT
Passing – As ever, his passing was clever and incisive, as he created good chances for his teammates. Better finishing from his teammates would have seen Kagawa end up with something to show for in the assists column, which would have been well-deserved.
Composure – Never looks rushed when he’s on the ball, and Tuesday’s game was another example as he helped Japan maintain possession, especially in the second half as they began to dominate the game. His penalty was another indicator of his calmness.
GOT WRONG
Lacked a little assertiveness at times, particularly in the first half when Japan seemed under the cosh despite having a numerical advantage. Although he was always a threat once he got on the ball, he seemed as if he was waiting for the game to come to him. Given that he’s now a veteran player along with being his team’s biggest star, that’s something he needs to avoid. In fairness, he grew into the game in the second half.
KEY MOMENTS
6th minute, GOAL: Kagawa saw his shot blocked by a blatant handball and after a long wait as Colombia protested a red card, he stepped up to slot home a cool, almost casual penalty.
54th minute, CHANCE: Kagawa found Yuya Osako with a clever pass on the left, putting the striker in an excellent position to score. However, Osako’s shot was saved by the keeper.
VERDICT
There was little surprising about Kagawa’s display on Tuesday, because this is what the world has come to expect from him. He wasn’t quite at his unplayable best, but this was a controlled, high-quality performance from a player who still remains somewhat underrated among his colleagues in the playmaking role.
For Japan, however, Kagawa is going to go down as an all-time great, and he showed why against Colombia, popping up everywhere, finding his teammates well, and scoring a nonchalant penalty.
RATING – 8/10
