Fifteen minutes of Ligue 1, then a European debut
Keito Nakamura had played a quarter of an hour for Lyon before Wednesday night. That was the sum of it.
He signed on September 3, a deadline-day piece of business that only became possible once Malick Fofana’s move to Sunderland went through. Then the calendar got in the way. Cup-tied against Auxerre, 15 minutes off the bench against Paris FC last weekend, and not much else. Paulo Fonseca decided Anderlecht away was the place to find out what he had.
The 26-year-old Japan international started on the left. He scored in the 22nd minute, a shot that clipped Llansana on the way through and left the keeper stranded. Lyon went two up, eased off, and got home 2-1. Nakamura took man of the match in his first ever European game.
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A 7 in L’Equipe, and headlines in Tokyo
L’Equipe handed him a 7 for clean technique and genuine work without the ball, with one loose pass in the 53rd minute the only blemish. Le Progres listed him among the night’s best and pointed to the two chances he laid on for Lois Openda, in the 56th and 62nd.
Japan noticed faster. Tokyo Sports called him the “prince” and ran hard on the European debut. On WOWOW, former player Keisuke Tsuboi picked out something smaller and more useful: “He always keeps his head up, which shows he is also thinking about his passing options.”
Fonseca has wanted him since Lille
This is not a new idea for the coach. Fonseca tried to bring Nakamura in during his time at Lille. Clinton Mata had his own file on him, from facing him in Nakamura’s Reims days. “He’s a very intelligent player with plenty of physical quality, and he’s very good one against one,” the defender said beforehand.
Nakamura talked about none of that. He talked about fitting in. “I’ve been at the club for two weeks or 10 days, but I’ve already managed to find connections in training. We’ve talked a lot with Lois and Kail,” he said in the mixed zone, meaning Openda and Kail Boudache.
Saturday night is the harder question. Rennes come to Groupama Stadium, and a first-round Europa League tie in Belgium is not Ligue 1.
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