Southampton: Saints defender Yoshida collects 100th cap in Japan win

Southampton defender Maya Yoshida collected his 100th international cap as Japan beat Kyrgyzstan 2-0 on Thursday.

The victory further strengthens Japan’s hold on 1st place in their World Cup Qualifying group that also includes Tajikistan, Mongolia and Myanmar.

Red Bull Salzburg striker Takumi Minamino put the away side ahead in the 41st minute when he netted from the penalty spot, whilst Hannover 96 midfielder Genki Haraguchi doubled their lead shortly into the second-half.

Yoshida played the full 90 minutes on his 100th appearance and now sits in 8th on his country’s all-time list of most appearances.

The 31-year-old continues to be an important presence for Japan and will be hoping to still be part of their plans as the 2022 World Cup in Qatar arrives.

Asian World Cup qualifying also acts as a qualifying process for the Asian Cup and the ‘Samurai Blue’ are now almost certain to claim a place at the 2023 tournament in China.

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Japan have won the Asian cup four times before but were runners-up in the latest competition, meaning they are likely to have extra motivation to put that right in four years time.

Yoshida has vastly improved since joining Saints and is now often a consistent performer in the Premier League, but it remains to be seen whether the club extend his current contract that runs out this coming summer.

Moussa Djenepo was also in action yesterday as Mali claimed a point in Africa Cup of Nations qualifying.

He was introduced for the final 25 minutes of their 2-2 draw with Guinea and played a part in the second goal that his side scored.

Saints summer signing Djenepo will be looking to be involved again for his country when they take on Chad this coming Sunday, whilst Maya Yoshida will have to wait until Tuesday to play again when Japan play Venezuela in a friendly.

Three further Saints players could be in action on Friday evening, with Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Kevin Danso and Sofiane Boufal looking to be involved for Denmark, Austria Under-21s and Morocco respectively.