The main players of the Japanese national soccer team have been injured at the same time.
“Takefusa Kubo felt discomfort from Alcaraz’s punch and expressed fear that he might have cracked his ribs,” Spanish media outlet Mundo Deportivo reported on March 22 (KST).
Kubo’s club Real Sociedad played Cádiz to a 0-0 draw in the 18th round of the 2023/24 Spanish La Liga at the Estadio Nuevo Mirandía in Cádiz, Spain, on Sept. 22 (KST).
It was a tale of two halves for Kubo.
In the 44th minute, Kubo beat Ruben Alcaraz on a breakaway.
Alcaraz immediately hit Kubo in the side of the head with his hand.
It was far from a normal defensive move.
Kubo went down and received first aid from the medical staff.
However, the referee did not show his card.
Kubo’s ordeal continued.
In the 44th minute of the second half, Kubo won the ball in the Sociedad zone and was advancing when Alcaraz grabbed him completely and dragged him down.
Kubo tried to shake him off, but Alcaraz wouldn’t let go and slammed him to the ground.
Kubo protested the roughness of the foul, and players from both teams clashed.
Despite the two fouls, the referee only showed Alcaraz a single yellow card.
Kubo posted a video of himself being fouled on social media to express his frustration with the call.
After the game, Mitoma was seen leaving the field with a splint and crutches. “
I hope it’s not a serious injury. We don’t know the situation at the moment.”
“Depending on the outcome of Mitoma’s diagnosis, we are concerned about the impact on the end of the year and New Year’s matches, as well as the Asian Cup, which kicks off on January 12,” said Japanese media outlet Sporticianex.
Japan is currently on an eight-match winning streak, with recent wins over Germany (4-1) and Turkiye (4-2) in A matches.
They are aiming to win the 2023 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup in Qatar in January, but injuries to key players have thrown a spanner in the works.