Ao Tanaka: How the Japanese media rated Leeds United star in win vs Iceland
Ao Tanaka played a starring role away from Leeds United as he helped Japan beat Iceland in their last game before the World Cup on Sunday.
Japan beat Iceland 1-0 as NEC Nijmegen forward Koki Okawa stepped off the bench to score the winner in the 87th minute.
Tanaka started in midfield next to Liverpool’s Wataru Endo as he looks to nail down a place in their main eleven ahead of this summer’s World Cup.
The 27-year-old impressed throughout the second half of the season for Leeds as they avoided relegation from the Premier League.
His composure and determination were key to several of Leeds’ matches towards the end of the campaign, and we have looked at how the Japanese media rated his showing against Iceland on Sunday.
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VISIT THE LEEDS MATCH HUBAo Tanaka praised for ‘impressive’ performance that ‘stood out’ vs Iceland
Sources have told Football Insider that Leeds have no plans to sell Tanaka this summer, and it is no wonder, considering how he has been playing for club and country since the turn of the year.
Hajime Moriyasu handed him a 38th cap for Japan against Iceland, and Tanaka repaid his faith with a strong showing in the middle of the park.
| Minutes played | 73′ |
| Accurate passes | 52/56 |
| Shots on target | 1 |
| Touches | 63 |
| Tackles | 2 |
| Recoveries | 5 |
| Ground duels won | 2/3 |
Leading Japanese football magazine Soccer Digest gave Tanaka a 6.5 rating for his performance, and said: “His ability to win the ball back immediately stood out. He showed great energy and appeared to be in excellent physical condition.”
Fellow media outlet Football Channel also gave him a 6.5 and insisted that the Leeds man was “everywhere on the pitch thanks to his high work rate,” while “his willingness to push forward was also impressive.”
Independent website Note.com were another that handed the 27-year-old a 6.5 rating, as they summed his performance up by saying: “Functioned effectively as a link-up player in midfield. While a bit more drive forward would have been welcome, he maintained a good balance.”
How have other Leeds players on international duty got on?
Tanaka is among four Leeds players going to the North American World Cup this summer, with Brenden Aaronson set to feature for host nation USA.
The Whites’ playmaker will be confident of accruing decent game time at the tournament, but he failed to appear off the bench for Mauricio Pochettino’s side in their 3-2 win against Senegal on Sunday after missing training due to getting married last week.
Noah Okafor also remained on the sidelines for Switzerland during their 4-1 victory over Jordan on Sunday.
Gabriel Gudmundsson could feature for Sweden in their WC warm-up clash against Norway on Monday evening.