Gutted Kyogo Furuhashi earned support from his fellow Celtic stars after being dealt a blow as he was left out Japan's World Cup squad.
The team spirit was on full display as the players smiled and hugged ahead of the Champions League blockbuster match against Real Madrid. Kyogo was pictured training at Celtic Park on Tuesday morning, just hours after news broke that both he and Reo Hatate had suffered World Cup heartache after being left out of Japan’s squad.
Despite the setback for two of his key players, Ange Postecoglou's side looked united as they prepared for the crunch clash in the Spanish capital. At times like this you need your mates to pick you up and that was evident at Parkhead. Kyogo looked upbeat while Hatate was all smiles as he was pictured sharing a joke with Greg Taylor. Meanwhile Sead Haksabanovic and Matt O'Riley embraced each other in a hug.
News broke this morning that Kyogo and Hatate didn't make the cut, but Daizen Maeda will be on the plane to Qatar. The omission of Kyogo in particular came as a major surprise as many in his homeland felt he deserved to be in the 26-man group having racked up 15 caps over the past two seasons and has also been on fine for Celtic, however, although Hatate was always on the periphery.
Coach Hajime Moriyasu insisted he wanted to take Furuhashi – as well as Vissel Kobe striker Yuya Osako, who has also been a regular – but had to make a tough call and opted for ‘burning desire’ over ‘experience’. It's a sore one to take for Kyogo but the trip to the Bernabeu could come at a perfect time to help the disappointed star clear the head as he looks to bounce back.
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