Ao Tanaka was left in tears at full-time after the Leeds United midfielder gave the ball away before Brazil’s injury-time winner against Japan – but Keisuke Honda has defended him.
Japan were the second team to be knocked out of the World Cup in the round of 32, after Canada saw off South Africa. In both games, an injury-time winner determined the result as Japan were beaten 2-1.
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Japan actually opened the scoring, only for Casemiro to equalise with a header. Leeds midfielder Tanaka was unused in Japan’s first, but he starred in a win over Tunisia and then in a 1-1 draw against Sweden.
Given the quick turnaround, Tanaka was benched against Brazil but came on in the 78th minute with the game going into extra time. But a mistake from Tanaka saw Brazil score a 96th-minute goal to win 2-1.
Keisuke Honda leaps to Ao Tanaka’s defence, and he’s right
Conceding possession on Japan’s right, Tanaka underhit a pass to a teammate when really he should have just hooked the ball out for a throw-in. A mistake saw Brazil pounce, and Gabriel Martinelli scored.
It proved to be decisive after Tanaka had impressed over the last 15 minutes, fighting to keep Brazil at bay. After full-time, Tanaka was inconsolable, with Brazil’s Matheus Cunha attempting to cheer him up.
Japanese media have defended Tanaka, and so has World Cup icon Keisuke Honda. Quoted by Nikkan Sports, Honda leapt to Tanaka’s defence and hopes the Leeds midfielder can recover from his mistake.
“It’s all hindsight. The mistake led to the goal conceded, but other players make mistakes too, so we can’t blame Tanaka. Everything else he did was commendable. So I hope he can move on from this.”
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Going into the World Cup, Tanaka’s place at Leeds was under threat. The player himself said he considered an exit in January, and the midfielder ended the season with just 14 Premier League starts.
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German clubs have shown interest in Tanaka, with some reports claiming Leeds would only request a bargain £8m fee for his signature. Meanwhile, Leeds have signed Harry Wilson on a free transfer.
The Whites are in talks for Julian Brandt and are trying to agree a fee for Southampton’s Shea Charles. There is every chance that Tanaka pursues a move this summer and the World Cup will help with that.
Despite his mistake against Brazil, Tanaka has enjoyed a solid tournament – even earning praise from Chris Sutton. Clubs will have watched Tanaka’s performances and been alerted to his potential availability.
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