That 3rd Belgian goal in 2018 is one of my favourite World Cup goals.
In the short match highlights you can see Sakai (no 19) up for the late attacking corner, being one of the taller Japanese players I guess, but then none of his team mates cover the wide space on the right flank where he would have been otherwise, as Belgium launch their last minute counter from Courtois's throw.
Vertonghen also scored the Belgian's first from a long looping header that Sakai watches sail over him, into the net. Yeah Auckland's captain has played on the biggest stage, and apparently he's pretty famous & loved in his home country. Might have his own little Japanese expat fan club at Mt Smart and at other venues around the league. Taylor never had that.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fJeJuc27ggE
https://us.soccerway.com/matches/2018/07/02/world/world-cup/belgium/japan/2166115/
In the short match highlights you can see Sakai (no 19) up for the late attacking corner, being one of the taller Japanese players I guess, but then none of his team mates cover the wide space on the right flank where he would have been otherwise, as Belgium launch their last minute counter from Courtois's throw.
Vertonghen also scored the Belgian's first from a long looping header that Sakai watches sail over him, into the net. Yeah Auckland's captain has played on the biggest stage, and apparently he's pretty famous & loved in his home country. Might have his own little Japanese expat fan club at Mt Smart and at other venues around the league. Taylor never had that.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fJeJuc27ggE
https://us.soccerway.com/matches/2018/07/02/world/world-cup/belgium/japan/2166115/
I vaguely remember that that Japanese team had done something game managementy in a previous game, and then lost that game over committing at the final corner, when they really didn’t need to. Still can you imagine how bad KDB and Belgium’s golden generation would be feeling without even that memory to return to?
On the subject of fan clubs, a lot of the women here with no interest in football still remember Kawaguchi, even though he was a few generations ago! A certain boyish charm I’m told.
I’m fairly sure that Steven Taylor, too, has fan clubs in every corner of the world where football is played! Full of supermodels and massively overweight, tattooed half naked Geordies…
All I'll say is there is alot of Airline cabin staff, based in travel hub Dubai. Alot. Emirates employs over 20,000 for starters.