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September 29, 2024

Football: Takefusa Kubo’s Goal Propels Sociedad to First Win in Six La Liga Matches

Japan’s Takefusa Kubo opened the scoring as Real Sociedad secured a convincing 3-0 victory against Valencia at home on Saturday. This was the club’s first win in six matches in La Liga.

Unmarked in the box, Kubo skillfully directed a low cross from Sergio Gomez into the net eight minutes into the match, netting his second goal of the season and helping end Sociedad’s frustrating four-game goal drought.

Adding to the excitement, 20-year-old Icelandic striker Orri Oskarsson delivered a late brace, finishing with precision from close range. This victory was particularly significant for Sociedad, as it was their first league win since August 24, when Kubo had scored the solitary goal in their away match against Espanyol.

“We managed to play the brand of football we were picturing at the start of the season,” Kubo, named the player of the match, told a post-match television interview. “We can make progress if we keep doing this.” This statement leaves us optimistic about Sociedad’s future performance.

Before scoring seven goals last season, the 23-year-old scored nine goals in his first season at Sociedad. When he scores in a game, his team wins.

“I haven’t scored that many goals, and if I can score more, I’m sure our team should win,” he said.

In the Scottish Premiership, Celtic defeated St. Johnstone 6-0 on the road thanks to doubles from Kyogo Furuhashi and Daizen Maeda.

Furuhashi headed in Greg Taylor’s cross two minutes later to make it 3-0 after he had run behind the opposing backline to steer in the first goal in the 35th minute and set up Paulo Bernardo’s second from outside the box in the 43rd.

With a powerful, diving header from Bernardo’s precise cross in the 72nd minute, fellow forward Maeda skillfully delivered the league leaders’ impressive fifth goal, securing their dominant position on the scoreboard.

Portuguese champions Sporting Lisbon maintained their perfect start to the season after seven games. Midfielder Hidemasa Morita scored his first goal of the year on Friday, side-footing home their second goal in the 31st minute of a 3-0 victory at Estoril.

North Korea defeats Japan in the Women’s U-20 World Cup final in football

After a hard-fought battle that ended in a 1-0 defeat to North Korea in Colombia on Sunday, Japan narrowly missed claiming the Women’s Under-20 World Cup title. Ultimately, the determined team finished as runners-up for the second consecutive year, a bittersweet outcome.

At Bogota’s renowned El Campin football stadium, in the fifteenth minute of the highly anticipated all-Asian final, North Korea’s 17-year-old rising star, Choe Il Son, brilliantly curled in the decisive winning goal from the edge of the field, captivating the crowd with his exceptional skill.

Throughout the intense match, the young Nadeshiko managed only five attempts on goal, in stark contrast to North Korea’s nine well-placed shots. The swift and decisive North Koreans ultimately prevailed, showcasing their dominance and control over the game’s tempo.

After defeating Spain to win the 2018 Women’s U-20 World Cup title and then losing in a rematch four years later, Japan was making their third consecutive appearance in the final.

With this win, North Korea became the tournament’s only three-time champion, joining Germany and the US in the history of the Women’s U-20 World Cup.

Choe won the Golden Boot for scoring the tournament’s top six goals and the Golden Ball for being the most exceptional player.

Manaka Matsukubo, a midfielder for Japan, won the Silver Ball as the tournament’s next-best player after scoring both goals in her team’s 2-0 semifinal victory over the Netherlands. 

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