BERLIN (Kyodo) — Japanese attacker Daichi Kamada opened his account for the season in the German top flight on Saturday, equalizing for Eintracht Frankfurt in a 1-1 draw away to Hertha Berlin.
Kamada scored from inside the box in the 48th minute at Berlin’s Olympiastadion, canceling out an early opener from Hertha midfielder Suat Serdar.
Former Japan captain Makoto Hasebe came off the bench for Frankfurt in the 73rd minute.
The 26-year-old Kamada has three goals across all competitions this season following a brace in Frankfurt’s 4-0 win over second-division FC Magdeburg in the opening round of the German Cup on Aug. 1.
Japanese midfielder Wataru Endo also registered his first goal of the Bundesliga campaign while captaining Stuttgart to a 2-2 draw against Werder Bremen.
Both Endo and Samurai Blue defender Hiroki Ito played the full 90 minutes for Stuttgart at Bremen’s Weserstadion.
Endo struck in the 38th minute, leveling the score at 1-1 following Niclas Fullkrug’s early goal for the hosts.
Congolese forward Silas gave Stuttgart a 2-1 lead in the 77th minute, but an injury-time equalizer from Oliver Burke saw the sides share the points.
Japan captain Maya Yoshida was in the starting lineup for Schalke against a Borussia Monchengladbach side featuring his Samurai Blue defensive partner Ko Itakura. Both Japanese defenders played the full 90 minutes in a 2-2 draw.
In the English Premier League, Japanese winger Kaoru Mitoma made his debut for Brighton, coming off the bench in the 75th minute of a scoreless draw at home to Newcastle United.
Takehiro Tomiyasu made his first appearance of the season for Arsenal, substituting at right back in the 75th minute of a 4-2 win against visiting Leicester City.
Yuta Nakayama struck his first goal for Huddersfield in England’s second-tier Championship, netting the 40th-minute opener in a 3-1 win at home to Stoke.
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