Kuala Lumpur: With the AFC Champions League 2016 Group Stage kicking off Tueday, lets take a look at one of the competition's key players, Japanese outfit Sanfrecce Hiroshima's Takuma Asano.
KEY PLAYER: TAKUMA ASANO – Sanfrecce Hiroshima
AFC Champions League Record
Appearances: 7
Goals: 0
PROFILE
Takuma Asano made his mark both for Sanfrecce Hiroshima and his country over the last 12 months, helping his club to the J.League title while playing a key role in Japan’s qualification for the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.
The diminutive forward scored 14 times for Sanfrecce Hiroshima last year, with his all-round performances earning the 21-year-old the title of the J.League’s Rookie of the Year, an award previously won by the likes of Shinji Ono and Takashi Usami.
Asano also featured as Japan won the AFC U23 Championship in Qatar at the start of 2016 as he proved to be a highly effective impact player off the bench for Makoto Teguramori’s team.
And his stand-out moment came in the final of that tournament as he scored twice in the final against Korea Republic to turn the game on its head. Asano will be looking for more of the same at the 2016 AFC Champions League.
IMPORTANCE TO TEAM
Asano’s explosive pace over a short distance allied to his unerring eye for goal makes him a potent weapon for Sanfrecce Hiroshima, giving him the ability to turn a game in his team’s favour.
His pace stretches opposing defences, creating space either for himself or team mates to exploit.
ONES TO WATCH
Named the J.League’s MVP for the 2015 season, Japan defensive midfielder Toshihiro Aoyama acts as the first line of defence for Sanfrecce’s backline. Joining Aoyama in the 2015 J.League Team of the Year was defender Tsukasa Shiotani while further up the field is striker Hisato Sato, now entering his 12th season with the club.
Source: the-afc.com