Daizen Maeda reflects on captaining Japan against Scotland

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The Celtic Star

·30. März 2026

Daizen Maeda reflects on captaining Japan against Scotland

Daizen Maeda admitted he felt “confused” of his responsibilities before kick-off against Scotland after being handed the captain’s armband for the first time…

The 28-year-old led his country out at Hampden Park, where Japan edged a 1–0 victory courtesy of a late goal from Junya Ito, who found the net beyond goalkeeper Angus Gunn.

While it was a disappointing night for Scotland, the occasion remained a memorable one for the Hoops winger, marking his first experience as captain on the international stage.

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However, he revealed after the match that he was briefly confused during the pre-match formalities.

Taking part in the coin toss alongside Scotland captain Andy Robertson, Maeda admitted he wasn’t entirely sure what was happening, particularly after Scotland won the toss. He later made light of the moment.

Speaking via Japanese outlet gekisaka, Maeda said: “I don’t think anyone imagined I’d be able to show this side of myself in my football career.”

“So many people have supported me up until now, so I played with a feeling of gratitude. [Being captain] is a first in my life. This is really tough, I don’t even know how to do a coin toss.”

“I asked [Endo] whether we would take kick-off or decide sides with a coin toss. But the sun was out, so my teammates wanted us to switch ends.”

“But we lost the coin toss, so the opponent took the territory and we could only take the kick-off. It was my first time, and what we had talked about and what we were actually doing were completely different, so I was confused, but it was a good experience for me.”

He added: “I was a little concerned about it before the match, but during the game I was focused on playing my own game, so I wasn’t too conscious of it.”

“As a team, we didn’t score [in the first half], but I think we were able to play in a way that is typical of Japan, where we fought tenaciously like in the Qatar World Cup and created chances in the second half.”

Conor Spence

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