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Japanese in Europe: Shinji Kagawa shines with double while Tadanari Lee makes his English debut
(UPDATED) The former Cerezo man continued his excellent form for Dortmund, while Tadanari Lee found little to take away from his first match as a Southampton player
Jan 30, 2012 3:15:00 AM
By Gyo Araiwa & Dan Orlowitz
Bongarts
Dortmund’s Shinji Kagawa set alight the Signal-Iduna-Park with a man-of-the-match performance in the 3-1 win over an uninspired 1899 Hoffenheim on Saturday.
After creating a couple of chances early on it was the 22-year-old Japanese who slotted home the opener after skipper Sebastian Kehl won the ball and passed it to him in minute 16.
Kagawa played a crucial role in the team’s second on the half-hour as his play led to Jakub Blaszczykowski’s cross for Kevin Grosskreutz’s goal.
In the second half Kagawa bagged the champions’ third goal after a back-heel assist by Grosskreutz. The first brace since September 2010 when his double against local rivals Schalke earned him a place in Dortmund’s folklore puts his goal tally to six.
At the lower end of the table, FC Augsburg drew 2-2 against Kaiserslautern. Hajime Hosogai, who once again played the full match for the Southerners, had a hand in his side’s opener when he cleverly created a gap in the wall clearing the path for Marcel de Jong’s goal from a free kick.
In the 65th minute the 25-year-old defensive midfielder recorded his first assist since his arrival in Germany when he put the ball through for the 2-2 equalizer by Stephan Hain who entered the pitch just seconds earlier. Hosogai also impressed with his accurate passing and his aggressiveness, repeatedly forcing his opponents to errors or resorting to fouls.
In England, Tadanari Lee made his debut for Southampton as they drew 1-1 with Millwall in an FA Cup fourth-round clash. The former Sanfrecce Hiroshima striker came on just after the hour, but failed to find many chances as Millwall mounted a stirring second-half comeback and eventually earned a replay with a late goal.
In Holland, Mike Havenaar opened his account with new squad Vitesse when he headed in Renato Ibarra's cross in the 84th minute. The strike was merely a consolation, however, as his team fell 3-1 to PSV.
In Brief...
With the January window coming to a close on Tuesday, Goal.com is your address for all the latest activity on the transfer market. Stay up to date of what's happening in all the big leagues in our all-day LIVE! for the climax of the transfer window, and read up on what else we have to offer here
After creating a couple of chances early on it was the 22-year-old Japanese who slotted home the opener after skipper Sebastian Kehl won the ball and passed it to him in minute 16.
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Kagawa played a crucial role in the team’s second on the half-hour as his play led to Jakub Blaszczykowski’s cross for Kevin Grosskreutz’s goal.
In the second half Kagawa bagged the champions’ third goal after a back-heel assist by Grosskreutz. The first brace since September 2010 when his double against local rivals Schalke earned him a place in Dortmund’s folklore puts his goal tally to six.
At the lower end of the table, FC Augsburg drew 2-2 against Kaiserslautern. Hajime Hosogai, who once again played the full match for the Southerners, had a hand in his side’s opener when he cleverly created a gap in the wall clearing the path for Marcel de Jong’s goal from a free kick.
| STAR OF THE WEEKEND |
| Shinji Kagawa |
 Kagawa had two goals and contributed greatly to a third; he's the clear choice for Japan's best player this weekend.
|
In the 65th minute the 25-year-old defensive midfielder recorded his first assist since his arrival in Germany when he put the ball through for the 2-2 equalizer by Stephan Hain who entered the pitch just seconds earlier. Hosogai also impressed with his accurate passing and his aggressiveness, repeatedly forcing his opponents to errors or resorting to fouls.
In England, Tadanari Lee made his debut for Southampton as they drew 1-1 with Millwall in an FA Cup fourth-round clash. The former Sanfrecce Hiroshima striker came on just after the hour, but failed to find many chances as Millwall mounted a stirring second-half comeback and eventually earned a replay with a late goal.
In Holland, Mike Havenaar opened his account with new squad Vitesse when he headed in Renato Ibarra's cross in the 84th minute. The strike was merely a consolation, however, as his team fell 3-1 to PSV.
In Brief...
Makoto Hasebe (Wolfsburg): Had a solid game in the Wolves’ defensive midfield but gave away the foul which led to his third yellow card of the season as well as to Bayern’s opener in the 2-0 defeat.
Takashi Usami (Bayern Munich): Japan’s prodigy once again found himself outside the squad when his team defeated VfL Wolfsburg 2-0 at home.
Atsuto Uchida (Schalke): Started but didn’t contribute to the Knappen’s 4-1 away win over FC Koln, as he was replaced in half time after a below par performance, also picking up a yellow card.
Kisho Yano (Freiburg): Is surplus to requirements at the Bundesliga’s bottom side which lost 3-1 away to Mainz.
Shinji Okazaki (Stuttgart): Came on after the break but wasn’t able to create danger in the 3-0 home loss against Borussia Monchengladbach.
Gotoku Sakai (Stuttgart): The Swabians’ new signing watched from the stands as his team lost 3-0 against fourth-placed surprise package.
Yuki Otsu (Borussia Monchengladbach): Did not feature in the matchday squad for the Foals’ 3-0 away win over Stuttgart.
Yuto Nagatomo (Inter): Played a respectable 90 minutes but was not a major factor as Inter's eight-game winning streak stopped with a 1-0 loss at Lecce.
Takayuki Morimoto (Novara): Left off roster in 2-0 loss at Palermo.
Maya Yoshida (VVV): Put in a strenuous 90-minute effort but could not help his team in a 4-0 loss to RSK.
Robert Cullen (VVV): Watched his team's 4-0 loss from the bench.
Yoshiaki Takagi (Utrecht): In just his second full appearance of the season, started at left wing and ended the match as a shadow striker. Showed assertiveness but unable to score in 2-0 loss at Heerenveen.
Michihiro Yasuda (Vitesse): Watched his team's 3-1 loss to PSV from the bench.
Hiroshi Ibusuki (Sevilla): Scored for Sevilla Atletico in a third-division match against Real Betis B.
Akihiro Ienaga (Mallorca): Not included in lineup; transfer rumors continue.
Eiji Kawashima (Lierse): Earned the plaudits after keeping a clean-sheet in a 2-0 win away to Westerlo to keep the team's recent fine form.With the January window coming to a close on Tuesday, Goal.com is your address for all the latest activity on the transfer market. Stay up to date of what's happening in all the big leagues in our all-day LIVE! for the climax of the transfer window, and read up on what else we have to offer here
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