Sports

Doan’s Late Strike Secures Japan’s Kirin Cup Victory

By Bulinews

Ritsu Doan was the decisive player as Japan won the Kirin Cup in Tokyo. The 28‑year‑old Eintracht Frankfurt winger scored the winning goal against New Zealand in the final. Japan’s squad also included Hiroki Ito (Bayern), Kaishu Sano (Mainz), Kento Shiogai (Wolfsburg), Satoshi Tanaka (Schalke), Yuito Suzuki and Keisuke Goto (both Freiburg). French‑based strikers Ayase Ueda (Lille) and Ben Old (Saint‑Étienne) each scored in the first half, before Doan’s winner came twenty minutes before full‑time. Both Japan and their opponents won their semi‑finals on penalties against Ecuador and Panama. The Kirin Cup is organized with the support of the Kirin Brewery Company. Clubs such as Borussia Mönchengladbach and Palmeiras won the inaugural tournament in 1978, and Werder Bremen claimed the title twice in 1982 and 1986. The competition ran uninterrupted for the first 11 years. Japan, the Czech Republic and Peru were the only teams to contest the tournament in 2012. The hosts had lost the finals of the previous two editions, held in 2016 and 2022.