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Iniesta scores first goal for Japanese side Kobe

TOKYO (Reuters) - Andres Iniesta scored his first goal for J League side Vissel Kobe in their 2-1 victory over Jubilo Iwata on Saturday.

Iniesta scores first goal for Japanese side Kobe
(Reuters)

The great Spanish midfielder, who moved to Japan following an illustrious career with boyhood club Barcelona, scored a sensational goal to open his account, assisted by former Arsenal forward Lukas Podolski.

The German slid the ball through to Iniesta in the penalty area and the 34-year-old displayed all his trademark intelligence to pirouette past an Iwata defender before rounding the goalkeeper to roll the ball into the net.

Iniesta’s goal opened the scoring in the 16th minute and a further goal from forward Kyogo Furuhashi secured the victory.

Kobe moved up to fourth place as they look to close the gap on J League leaders Hiroshima Sanfreece, who beat Nagasaki to maintain an eight-point lead over Tokyo FC in second.

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Iniesta's former Spain team mate Fernando Torres failed to open his account for Sagan Tosu, although the struggling team did secure a 1-0 victory over Urawa Red Diamonds in their battle against relegation.

(Reporting by Jack Tarrant, editing by Ed Osmond)


1 min read

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Source: Reuters



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