Daichi Kamada was expected to be Japan’s star man at the World Cup but the forward has flopped so far and he faces a huge test against Spain on Thursday.
Kamada has made a big impact since joining German side Eintracht Frankfurt, winning the Europa League last season and scoring 12 goals in all competitions so far this term.
The 26-year-old has found success at his first World Cup harder to come by, despite playing in Japan’s stunning 2-1 opening win over Germany.
Kamada said his first-half performance in that game was “terrible”, and would have been something that he “regretted for the rest of my life” had Japan not come back to claim the victory.
He was even more anonymous in his team’s next outing, a dismal 1-0 defeat to Costa Rica that put the Blue Samurai’s chances of reaching the last 16 in jeopardy.
A win over Spain in their final Group E match would clinch their place and Kamada is determined to make a timely return to form.