Fuente : FIFA World Cup 2006
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WORLD CUP 2006: Player to Watch: Oguro boosts Japan's armoury

/noticias.info/ Japan coach Zico may dare not imagine how his team's Germany 2006 qualifying campaign would have panned out had it not been for the goals of striker Masashi Oguro.

He could at least begin by crediting Oguro for the victory in their opening match in the final qualifying round with Korea DPR on 9 February in Saitama. The little-known North Koreans made life difficult for their hosts on that day.

Although Mitsuo Ogasawara's free-kick put Japan ahead after only four minutes, a resilient Korea DPR side drew level through a second-half goal from Nam Song-chol and looked on course to hold on for a point until injury time.

However, then up stepped Oguro. He had only taken the field as a 79th-minute replacement for Keiji Tamada but marked his international debut in the best way possible. Deep into added time, midfielder Takashi Fukunishi capitalised on a weak punch by North Korean goalkeeper Sim Sung-chol and picked out Oguro in the area and the Gamba Osaka forward kept his cool and turned to slot the ball home.

After those last-gasp heroics, Oguro repeated his super-sub act in the return match with Korea DPR in Japan's penultimate FIFA World Cup™ qualifier on 8 June. Already a goal to the good in a match played in Bangkok, Oguro sealed a 2-0 victory with an 89th-minute goal, running through to score past Kim Myong-gil as Zico's men became the first team besides hosts Germany to book their place in next summer's finals.

It was understandable then that Zico should sing the praises of the 25-year-old once qualification was assured. "Oguro has the qualities you look for in a striker," said the Brazilian coach. "He always looks for the goal whenever he has the ball. The winning goal against the North Koreans was typical of him. He is a player who makes a difference."

Standing 177cm tall and weighing 71kg, Oguro may cut a diminutive figure but his speed and opportunism ensure he is a threat. And after those two goals against Korea DPR, the Gamba Osaka man took full advantage of his next opportunity to prove his worth against high-profile opposition in the FIFA Confederation Cup in June.

As previously, Zico used Oguro as a second-half substitute in all three of Japan's matches in Germany – and with notable effect. After failing to find the net in their opening 2-1 loss to Mexico, Oguro stunned European champions Greece by scoring the winner just ten minutes after entering the fray in teir second game. Japan were dominating but could not capitalise with a goal. With 14 minutes to go, however, Oguro collected a pass from playmaker Shunsuke Nakamura and slipped the ball past Greek goalkeeper Antonios Nikopolidis.

His predatory instincts were underlined further in their third match against world champions Brazil. Soon after his introduction at the break, Oguro nearly created a goal for Nakamura as his speed opened up the Brazil back line. Trailing 2-1, he levelled the match with only two minutes remaining after reacting the quickest to Nakamura's free-kick against the post. Then in the dying seconds, he scared the life out of the South Americans with a far-post effort which drew a point-blank save from Marcos.

Oguro's nine international appearances to date have yielded four goals and his strike rate at club level is even more impressive. He was the top scorer with 20 goals in 30 matches in the last J-League season and had netted 12 from his first 17 appearances this term - only three goals behind the league's current top scorer, his Brazilian team-mate in Osaka, Araujo.

After his sparkling recent performances for the national team, he is among the favourites to be at the top of the scoring chart again at the close of this season. With the World Cup to come next year, he is rightly looking ahead with optimism.

"I could have scored more goals against Greece and Brazil as their defenders were not so strong as expected," he said of his efforts in Germany in June. And as for his next target, the answer is a straightforward one: "More goals."
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