Japanese veteran Shinji Kagawa (Cerezo Osaka, 34) showed he still has class. He even managed to pull off a surprise victory over a Paris Saint-Germain (FRA-PSG) team full of world-class players.카지노
PSG and Cerezo Osaka played a pre-season friendly for the Japan Tour at Yanmar Stadium in Osaka, Japan, on Monday (July 28). The result was a 3-2 victory for Osaka. Kagawa was the star of the show. Both teams battled back and forth, but it was Kagawa who scored the game-winner in the 34th minute.
Picking up the ball in the penalty arc, Kagawa fired a precise shot to the right side of the goal that rattled the net. Even Gianluigi Donnarumma, considered one of the best goalkeepers in the world, was unable to stop it. Kagawa’s calmness in the face of opposing defensive pressure also stood out. According to Japanese media outlet Sakurking, PSG players such as Donnarumma and Hugo Ekitiike praised Kagawa’s play after the match.
Kagawa is considered a Japanese legend. He has played for some of the biggest clubs in the world. After making his debut for Cerezo Osaka in 2006, Kagawa moved to Borussia Dortmund (Germany) where he made a name for himself. In 2010, he won the first half MVP of the Bundesliga. He also played for Premier League giants Manchester United from 2012 to 2014. Despite his lack of success in England, he returned to Dortmund and continued his big league career there until 2019.
Since then, Kagawa has played in various European clubs, including Turkkiye Besiktas, Real Zaragoza in Spain, and PAOK in Russia. After a stint with Sint-Truiden in Belgium, Kagawa returned to his hometown team Cerezo Osaka in February. He ended a European career that spanned 13 years. His performance against PSG was no different.
Kagawa also represented Japan at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil and the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
Shinji Kagawa at Manchester United. /AFPBBNews=News1
Shinji Kagawa with Dortmund. /AFPBBNews=News1
Kagawa’s teammate, South Korean goalkeeper Yang Han-bin (Cerezo Osaka), was also in action on the day, stopping shots from the PSG superstars and delivering a pinpoint goal kick in the 22nd minute of the first half to set up Jordy Kroenke’s equalizer. The Baek Amgo graduate played for FC Seoul from 2014 to 2023 before joining Cerezo Osaka in January. Prior to that, he played for Gangwon FC and Seongnam FC.
He has played six J-League matches and two League Cup matches this season.
Meanwhile, PSG’s ‘Golden Boy’ Lee Kang-in was named on the bench but did not play. He is still nursing a thigh injury. Lee made his PSG debut in a friendly against Le Havre (France) on Nov. 21, but despite a good performance, he had to be substituted in the 43rd minute due to thigh pain. He has been recovering since then. Luckily, he recently returned to training. Also missing was Brazilian striker Neymar. Neymar is also dealing with an ankle injury. He”s still not 100% fit.
This means that Luis Enrique”s PSG have drawn one game and lost one in their two-game tour of Japan. No wins yet. On August 25, they faced Al Nasr (Saudi Arabia), the team that Cristiano Ronaldo plays for, and drew 0-0. PSG heads to South Korea on August 1 for a friendly against Inter Milan (Italy), last season’s European Champions League runners-up. On August 3, they will face Jeonbuk Hyundai in the third leg of the Coupang Playoffs at the Busan Asiad Main Stadium.
Lee Kang-in returns to training with the team. /Photo: Paris Saint-Germain SNS