Football: Kubo's Real Sociedad beat Tokyo Verdy in club friendly
Takefusa Kubo's Spanish La Liga club Real Sociedad scored late in both halves to beat Tokyo Verdy 2-0 in Wednesday's friendly match.
In front of 40,150 fans at Tokyo's National Stadium, Urko Gonzalez de Zarate opened the scoring from outside the box in the 45th minute, and Arsen Zakharyan doubled the lead in second-half stoppage time.
Verdy's Keito Kawamura had a chance to equalize eight minutes from time, but his shot hit the right post and bounced away.
Real Sociedad's Takefusa Kubo (R) controls the ball during the first half of the team's friendly match against Tokyo Verdy on May 29, 2024, at Tokyo's National Stadium. (Kyodo)
Kubo started and played for 48 minutes, showing off his dribbling and passing skills.
"It was good to play at this National Stadium for the first time in my career," the 22-year-old said. "This past year felt very long. I had the Asian Cup, the Champions League and then this Japan tour."
"My teammates liked the atmosphere of the stadium and told me that they're glad to have come over here. I'm happy about that."
Related coverage:
Football: Kamada upbeat after strong end to season with Lazio
Football: Japan trio help Celtic beat Rangers to win Scottish Cup
Football: Marinos miss out on 1st ACL title with defeat to Al Ain
