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Must-See Goal: Keisuke Honda

KeisukeHonda

The Netherlands-Japan friendly on Friday was a beautiful display of quality passing for both teams, and the highlight of the match featured Japan’s masterfully-worked equalizer.

Keisuke Honda finished things off, but it was the combination play that made this a must-see goal.

Enjoy:
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VTSxqXHDVlo]

Comments

  1. Japan should be a favorite of every neutral at next year’s tournament. They play some beautiful football. Their second half performance against the Dutch was just awesome.

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  2. This goal exemplifies two axioms of soccer that make the game so beautiful:

    1. Let the ball do the work for you, it moves faster than the fastest player
    2. Pass the ball, make yourself available, receive the ball. Repeat

    However, it takes a lot of practice and skill to accomplish and if you have ever tried to do it at any level of competition, then you will appreciate the build up to the goal. It is full of minute details that will go unnoticed to many:

    The ball is always on the ground, played with the perfect weight and to the right location to the target player as not to break the stride. Every player involved moves into space at the right time and is in perfect position to take the pass and make the subsequent pass. BTW, two of the touches are called ‘half touch’ in Barcelona ‘rondo’ speak.

    And the finish! One touch on the run, placing it between the only possible location between the near post and the goalie. That is tough even is he shot it with his preferred foot!

    While a few people only consider the long bombs as must-see, this one is probably better given the build-up to it.

    Cheers

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    • I absolutely agree with you on that one mate. Experienced this a lot while playing. However, many don’t appreciate that. It was a great goal. Nice one and cheers !!

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  3. Is it me, or is Japan highly underrated?

    I thought they did quite well in the Confederations Cup, despite the lack of victories.

    They seem to play a fluid, fast, attacking style that is both entertaining and dangerous.

    What a beautiful goal.

    Now only if the US could do just half of that…

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    • Yes. All the games played on the other side of the globe and vs lowly asian minnows brings down their fifa rankings. Every four years we actually see how good Japan and Korea are!

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  4. That was sublime. The very definition of a must see goal. That sort of interplay leading up to a goal is actually more rare than some wondergoal based on individual effort. That’s why it’s called the Beautiful game. I cherish those type of goals infinitely more than the ridiculous curling free kicks.

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  5. Tale of two complete halls in this one for Japan. I stayed up till 6:00 to watch this one cause I couldn’t count on waking up.

    In this first half Shinji Kagawa was on the bech. Zaccheroni was cleary resting his depth with that and I have to say, the chemistry between Honda and Kagawa is what makes this team run. Everyone seemed to step it up when Kagawa and Honda were on because their not afraid of anyone out there and I guess it inspires confidence.

    The Netherlands dominated the first half, but likewise, it was Japan who did the outplaying in the 2nd half.

    Kagawa gets more mention then Honda and it often cited as their best player considering he’s played for Dortmund and now Man U, but that should all change come in the preceding months when Honda moves to A.C. Milan

    Honda is hands down the best player ever produced by Japan and that’s including Nakata, Nakamura and Kagawa

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    • Kagawa is wasted at Manu. They are never going to play like he, Japan or Dortmund does. Many think Kagawa is overrated but if that were true he wouldn’t be so key for Japan. Honda is awesome though. He will help Milan out a lot.

      I saw Japan in the ConFed cup, their only problem is that are soft. They will have trouble with a team that isn’t afraid of being dirty.

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      • The confess cup was a bad tournament for them. But they understand that to overcome their physical deficiencies, they have to play harder, smarter and more organized.

        Their defense was pretty awesome against the Netherlands by the outfield players. The swarming by the flank players, the great rotation. They really stepped it up In the second half. They need this effort on both ends to get them on to the nxt pinnacle of teams. Another showing like this against Belgium will go along way in furthering their self confidence.

        Man U is overrated. English football is overrated. And the English are a second tier team. Belgium has surpassed them.

        Inevitably all of the UK will combine to represent on football team. Britain

      • As someone who has relatives who live in England and goes there quite often, I can tell you that that will NEVER happen in our lifetime (assuming that you are also in your mid-30’s). Besides, the England would only take 2 players from all of the remaining home nations. Scotland/Wales/Ireland are really mediocre or bad teams.

      • I think it’s inevitable. With the continuing increase of foreigners in the premier league and the best English players reduced to smaller roles, or sitting on benches, their talent pool is continuing to suffer. This is only going to get worse with the influx of more and more foreigners in my opinion. Team GB in the Olympics?

        It’s not out of the real of possibility. Maybe the nations would compete like the Catalonia or Basque autonomous community’s

  6. Absolute class, this Japanese team is one to watch for if they can get a decent draw at the World Cup. If only our guys could combine and not be afraid to take defenders on like this Japanese team, we’d probably score a could goals yesterday.

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      • That’s the oldest ineffective argument in the book: the law of syllogisms doesn’t work in sport.

        In case you haven’t noticed, they scored that goal against the Netherlands, who are, you know, like really good.

  7. Very Barcelona like, only Japan had more space; Barcelona often pulls this sort of thing off in very tight space. To me, this is how soccer/football should be played and it is beautiful to watch wen done well.

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  8. How on earth does this rank as Must See?So he scored from 8 yeards out on the runs. Nice, quick feet. But this should be expected. Certainly not Must See IMHO.

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    • As was noted above, it wasn’t for the final shot, it was for the beautiful build up play, much of which was one-touch. A great goal.

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    • Why in the world is there always someone who’s just got to be “that guy”? Way to be “that guy”, guy.

      I thought it was lovely. Incisive passing and tidy play can be a lot more impressive than a screamer from the top of the box.

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      • hahahahaha

        YOU ARE RIGHT!! There always has to be “that guy”.

        Congrats Michael for ruining the fun.

        Get over yourself already. That goal was amazing. Beautiful build up against one of the best teams in the world from one of the most underrated.

        There has always got to be one…

    • Did you watch this play? All one-touch passing, two back-heel passes, one outside of the foot pass to set him up…finished up with a shot through the legs of a defender and just inside the post. They learned the joga bonito very well.

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      • I love how anytime someone her who has a different opinion you get crucified. Get over yourselves. Sure, great passing. A must see goal? Not in my book.

      • Which book? The Bible? What does a work of fiction have to do with it? “Bothered” isn’t the right word, more like amused.

      • No one said anything about the Bible?

        Don’t be such a hyper aggressive atheist. Nothing is worse than someone extolling the belief that others should not believe in something. Wonderfully Hypocritical.

      • @Increase- So he can’t tell you what to do, but then you can tell him he can’t tell people what to do, when you are doing exactly that? Who are the hypocrits on this thread again?

      • Belief and action are not the same. Belief harms no one. It is purely internal.

        Society has standards on action. American society has no such standards on belief by tradition. We are free to believe as we wish. We are not free to act as we wish.

        Telling him what to do is not the same as telling him what to believe.

        I am not a hypocrite. (Look it has an E!)

      • I will say that Jay should express why it was a good goal. Do that Rather than display arrogance hidden behind false pity.
        It’s immature.

      • It’s not that you have a different opinion… it’s that your opinion is a negative, minority opinion that does no good by being expressed.

      • Your initial post, “How on earth…” implies that you can’t see how anyone could see that goal as “must see.” Thus, there can be no opinion in the matter, just fact – the fact that the goal was not must see.

        Then, you get very defensive when someone takes issue with your opinion and overall tone in the matter (demonstrating that you are the one, in fact, who cannot take criticism from an opposing opinion) – culminating in a completely unprovoked attack on the Bible and Christians in general.

        You seem to fit the role of the hypocritical, smarter-than-thou, ultra-liberal douche nicely.

        Congrats, ‘Original.’

        lol

    • So, the beauty of one touch passing is lost on you.

      Individual brilliance is great. Robben’s goal in the same game was a good goal to see.

      This was a far more rare specimen, and sick nasy.

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