It is the appearance of an "insane rookie" in Japanese soccer.
Kawasaki Frontale lost 0-2 in the elite final of Al Ahliwa 2024/25 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League at Jeddah King Abdullah Sports City in Saudi Arabia on the 4th (Korea time), putting off the first chance to win the championship in the club's history.
Kawasaki advanced to the finals after defeating Al Saad (3-2 victory) and Al Nasr (3-2 victory), which were considered favorites, but Al Ahli's wall was high. It was not easy to break through Al Ahli, who had a large number of so-called top classes including Roberto Firmino, Frank Kesier, Riyad Mahrez, and Ivan Toney, who had two assists.
Although his miraculous journey ended as runner-up, it was not without achievement. Kawasaki coach Shigetoshi Hasebe made a bold decision to select Yuto Ozeki (20), a promising player born in 2005, only two years after his debut as a pro player during the semifinal match against Al Nasr, as an offensive midfielder. Considering that he is a promising player with little practical experience, he was Hasebe's gambler.
This was surprisingly a "God's move." Ozeki, who mainly used to play defensive midfielders, completely blocked Marcelo Brozovic from distributing balls by banking on his specialty of active play. Cristiano Ronaldo, the "main catcher," also failed to display notable performance after Brozovic suffered. Ozeki even scored Kawasaki's second goal by scoring a left-footed shot in the 41st minute of the first half.
Hasebe also displayed his confidence by substituting Ozeki in the match against Al-Ahli. Although the results were not good, Ozeki created several threatening scenes, which impressed fans. 온라인카지노
However, Ozeki seems to be disappointed that he failed to win the trophy. According to a report by Japanese media "Football Channel" on the 4th, Ozeki lowered his head in an interview after the match, saying, "I wanted to shoot when I received the ball even though I was supporting the front-line striker at the second line, but I regret that I couldn't create a chance."
"Through repeated tournaments, I felt that I was working and gained confidence. On the other hand, I think it is because I am not good enough to become an Asian champion. I will go back to Japan and try to contribute to the team," he said, showing an adult appearance that is not like his young age.