REIMS, France (Kyodo) — Takumi Minamino opened his Monaco account in France’s Ligue 1 on Sunday as he came off the bench to score one and set up another in their 3-0 win away to 10-man Reims featuring fellow Japanese attacker Junya Ito.
The 27-year-old Minamino, who joined the principality side from Liverpool over the summer, struggled to impact his new team and has made only two starts from six games, missing the last two entirely.
But after Reims defender Bradley Locko was controversially sent off in the 22nd minute and Monaco took the lead through Aleksandr Golovin’s diving header soon after the break, Minamino came on in the 65th minute and showed signs he had finally rediscovered his scoring touch.
Playing on the right wing, Minamino was totally unmarked as he received the ball from Breel Embolo in the 87th minute and calmly side-footed into the near bottom corner to double Monaco’s lead.
His assist came when he launched a counter from inside his own half and sent a lofted diagonal pass to his captain Wissam Ben Yedder who curled into the far corner for his first league goal of the campaign.
It is a welcome boost for Japan ahead of their two World Cup warm-ups against the United States and Ecuador, with Ito also a constant threat for Reims despite his side’s numerical disadvantage.
The pacey winger created Reims’ best chance in the 77th minute when he wriggled his way past three players down the right to cut the ball back for Andreaw Gravillon, who sent his effort just over the bar.
In Spain, Takefusa Kubo was the catalyst for the opener as Real Sociedad won 2-1 against Espanyol at home.
The attacker put Espanyol goalkeeper Alvaro Fernandez under pressure on a back pass and poked the ball free and into the path of his striking partner Alexander Sorloth for a 17th-minute tap-in at Reale Arena.
Edu Exposito scored from a well-worked corner for the visitors two minutes later, but Brais Mendez steered home the winner for La Real in the 29th minute.
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