Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Kashiwa: Striker Masato Kudo is hoping continued AFC Champions League success with Kashiwa Reysol this season can further boost his international hopes after making a goalscoring debut for Japan last month.
Kudo’s club side will meet Al Shabab of Saudi Arabia in the last eight of the continental club championship, with the first leg to be held in Japan on August 21, and the 23-year-old will be looking to build on an impressive showing in the competition so far.
The young forward’s form – which has seen him score five times so far in this year’s competition – saw him selected for the Japan national team by Alberto Zaccheroni for the first time in the squad ahead of June’s FIFA World Cup 2014 qualifier with Australia.
And while Kudo did not feature in the meeting at Saitama Stadium as Japan secured qualification for the 2014 FIFA World Cup, he did not have to wait long as the Kashiwa striker scored against China on his international debut during the East Asian Cup in July.
“It was great experience to train and play with such famous players. I was able to learn so much from them and I will continue to try hard to return to the national team in the future,” said Kudo of his call-up.
“I still need to improve the quality of my first touch. When you are playing with players like Shinji Kagawa and Yuto Nagatomo, they never miss.
“With every match we play in the AFC Champions League against a team from overseas, I have been able to develop both the physical and mental sides of my game which means that whatever the situation, I do not get nervous anymore.”
Having become the first J.League side to reach the last eight since Cerezo Osaka in 2011 by winning Group H with an unbeaten record before seeing off 2006 champions Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors in the last 16, Kashiwa resume their AFC Champions League campaign at home to Al Shabab on August 21 before travelling to Riyadh for the return fixture four weeks later.
Al Shabab lost just once in topping Group A ahead of Qatar’s El Jaish before sealing return to the last eight following their 2010 semi-final appearance with a 5-1 aggregate victory over Al Gharafa in the last 16 having exited at the same stage two years ago.
“We don’t know a lot about Al Shabab, but we will study them as we get closer to the two matches we will play against them,” said Kudo, who was part of the Kashiwa squad which failed to advance past the group stage on their AFC Champions League debut last season.
“We know that we have to win the game we play at our stadium, and when we play away, we will look to fight hard. I also want to score as much as possible.
“We don’t need to change our style; we will just try to keep our normal style as that has proven successful for us so far in the AFC Champions League this season.
"We learned a lot playing in the AFC Champions League last year, both on and off the pitch, so we are no longer surprised no matter what happens in whatever country we play.”
Photo: AFP