OSAKA - Cerezo Osaka preserved an early opener to edge Borussia Dortmund 1-0 in an international club friendly on Wednesday, with former international Shinji Kagawa, who has played with both Japanese and German top-tier outfits, setting in motion the scoring.
Solomon Sakuragawa opened the scoring in the eighth minute at Yanmar Hanasaka Stadium in Osaka, heading in a right-foot cross from Takumi Nakamura.
The goal, which proved to be the game's only score, came from a return pass by Kagawa to Nakamura.
"It's always an honor for me to play against Dortmund, and it was a really enjoyable time to host them," Kagawa said.
"Of course, it would have been ideal to score myself. I had a few chances, so I want to take them next time," the 37-year-old also said.
Dortmund said it has a "special bond" with Japan since Kagawa has twice played for the German club, while also offering him a future role as their club ambassador.
Kagawa turned pro with Cerezo in 2006 and played with them until the summer of 2010, when he left for Dortmund. There, the midfielder immediately contributed to back-to-back Bundesliga championships.
After stints with English Premier League side Manchester United and several other clubs abroad, Kagawa returned to Cerezo in 2023.
