How the Japanese media reacted to Leeds United star Ao Tanaka’s performance in World Cup qualifier vs China

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Ao Tanaka kicked off Leeds United’s involvement in the international break with an appearance for Japan against China.

Japan were playing the first of their Group C World Cup qualification matches and comfortably dispatched China on home soil by an impressive 7-0 scoreline.

Tanaka was actually named on the bench for the game but just like on his debut for Leeds, came on as a second half substitute and got involved right away.

All of Japan’s scorers in the game are currently plying their trade in a top-flight league with Liverpool’s Wataru Endo and Brighton’s Kaoru Mitoma both netting in the first half.

Takumi Minamino (2), Junya Ito, Daizen Maeda, who Tanaka could’ve joined at Celtic in the summer, and Takefusa Kubo all also got on the scoresheet in the second 45 minutes.

• READ MORE: Graham Smyth says Daniel Farke did something after the win vs Hull City he’s never done before at Leeds United

What Japan’s media said about Leeds star Tanaka vs China

Tanaka has plenty of competition for a place in midfield at international level, with the aforementioned Endo, as well as Sporting Club de Portugal’s Hidemasa Morita, both starting ahead of him.

However, Tanaka has a very good record in his now 28 appearances for Japan, scoring eight goals, one of which was the winner against Spain in a World Cup fixture back in 2022.

With that in mind, Tanaka is almost always used whenever he is away on international duty and that was no different against China as he was brought on in the 71st minute.

In that time, Tanaka was able to complete 28 of his 30 attempted passes, as Japan scored three goals after he was introduced onto the field.

Japanese outlet Football Zone were impressed with the impact Tanaka made after coming off the bench, praising his work both on and off the ball.

They wrote: “Tanaka Ao (Leeds/England) = 6.5 IN ← 26 minutes into the second half. With precise positioning, he thwarts the opponent’s attacks, recovers loose balls, and passes the ball around.”

• READ MORE: Every Leeds United player on international duty during the September break

Tanaka made similar impact on Leeds debut

Based solely on his debut for Leeds and his cameo for Japan, it is quite clear Daniel Farke now has a midfield who loves getting on the ball.

In just 33 minutes of football across those two matches, Tanaka successfully completed 46 passes, which is a very impressive statistic regardless of the respective game states.

This latest cameo will only add to Leeds supporters’ excitement at what Tanaka will be like to watch when he is regularly starting matches and at his best.

The good news for Leeds from this appearance is he will be keeping his match sharpness ticking over, while not playing enough minutes to mean he is tired upon his return to club duty.