DAIZEN MAEDA had to watch from the beach on Sunday morning as his Japanese teammates were beaten 1-0 by Costa Rica in a massive upset.
If Germany was the high, the game against Cota Rica is certainly the low.
Daizen started the game against Germany on matchday one of the group stage, doing his bit and watching the team eventually turn it around in spectacular style, winning the game 2-1.
Daizen saw no action on Sunday on a day when Japan could not find the back of the net.
The Kyogo snub before the competition was a bizarre decision. The prolific striker could have added something up front for his country, yet he wasn’t chosen.
Maeda, playing through the middle for Japan can get you goals. He played out on the left most often for Celtic, but he has the aptitude for playing as a lone striker. The frontman was once Yokohama’s top goal scorer, after all.
His energy left on the bench today was surely another misfire from Hajime Moriyasu, who’ll be feeling the heat after the game.
Japan can still qualify for the knockouts, but they have no room for error now.
