Celtic winger Daizen Maeda took to the field for Japan today in a pivotal World Cup 2026 qualifier against North Korea.
The winger, who is a Samurai Blue regular, started, and played the full 90, for his nation as they picked up a vital 1-0 win.
In the match, per stats provider FotMob, the treble-winner had the most tackles, drew the most fouls, and won the most duels. He played on the left wing throughout the game, debuting his new blonde hair:
C'mon Daizen🍀 @M_daizen_1020 pic.twitter.com/d151z9FXwr
— Yatao (@yataoda4) March 21, 2024
It was Hajime Moriyasu’s side’s first game since the disappointment of their Asian Cup quarter-final defeat to Iran at the beginning of last month. Things are now feeling more positive for Japan after such failure, with them leading their World Cup qualification group after maintaining a perfect record in their opening three games.
Next up, Japan face North Korea once again on Tuesday. Kick-off is at 8 am UK time, and from a Celtic perspective, hopefully, Maeda, who has started the past eight games for the Hoops, will come through unscathed.
