Sub Nakajima rescues win for Japan

Mar 27, 2019 06:00 am

Japan's Shoya Nakajima came off the bench to score in a 1-0 victory over Bolivia in an international friendly in Kobe yesterday.

The diminutive forward, who became the most expensive Japanese player when he moved to Al-Duhail in January, scored the winner in the 76th minute having come off the bench 15 minutes earlier.

Japan coach Hajime Moriyasu made a swathe of changes after his side's 1-0 loss to Colombia last week, which included reinstating Shinji Kagawa to the starting line-up.

But the impetus came only after Moriyasu made his second-half changes. The three attacking substitutes - and usually Moriyasu's favoured forward line - of Ritsu Doan, Takumi Minamino and Nakajima combined finally to unlock the Bolivian defence and give the Samurai Blue a morale-boosting win.

Japan are preparing for the Copa America in Brazil in June. They were invited along with Qatar. - REUTERS