Takuma Asano's name will go down in Japanese football history after his stunning winner against Germany in Wednesday's World Cup clash.
The striker was introduced as a second-half substitute during the Blue Samurai's fightback in Qatar, and, with the scores level at 1-1, latched onto Ko Itakura's long ball forward. Asano controlled brilliantly with his first touch, plucking the ball out of the sky, before burying his shot high into the roof of the net from an acute angle past Manuel Neuer. That goal was enough for Japan to claim a shock comeback win over Germany and put them in pole position to secure a last 16 place when they face Costa Rica on Sunday.
While many Premier League fans may have never heard of the 28-year-old before his heroics at the Khalifa International Stadium, his name may well ring a bell for Arsenal fans, because Asano is one that got away where the Gunners are concerned.
