Iniesta Scores Outrageous First Goal in Japan

Tokyo, Aug 11 (AFP) Spanish great Andres Iniesta scored a sublime first goal for Japanese side Vissel Kobe today, helping them to a 2-1 win over J-League rivals Jubilo Iwata.

The former Barcelona playmaker, who completed a surprise move to Japan over the summer after a glittering career with his boyhood club, produced a moment of outrageous skill to put Vissel in front after 15 minutes

Former Arsenal striker Lukas Podolski provided the assist, feeding the ball into Iniesta, who swivelled and left a Jubilo defender on his backside before coolly finishing from a tight angle.

A further second-half goal from Kyogo Furuhashi secured Kobe's home victory, lifting them to fourth in the J-League standings.

Iniesta's former Spain team mate Fernando Torres was left frustrated again, however, as the one-time Liverpool and Chelsea forward failed again to open his J-League account.

His relegation-threatened side Sagan Tosu did at least manage to upset Urawa Reds 1-0 at home to give them some hope as they look to survive the drop. (AFP) AH

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)