Eintracht Frankfurt's Ritsu Dōan seals Kirin Cup win for Japan
Eintracht Frankfurt winger Ritsu Dōan captained Japan and scored the winning goal in a win over New Zealand in the 2026 Kirin Cup final.
Dōan's strike in the 71st minute proved the difference in a keenly contested final after Ben Old had cancelled out Ayase Ueda's opener in the first half.
Bayern Munich defender Hiroki Ito and Mainz midfielder Kaishu Sano also started for the Samurai Blue, while Schalke's Satoshi Tanaka and Wolfsburg's Kento Shiogai came off the bench to help the hosts lift the trophy in front of over 60,000 fans in Tokyo.
Japan claimed their 12th tournament victory after beating Ecuador on a penalty shoot-out in the semi-finals of the four-team tournament, which has been held in a number of different formats since 1978.
Werder Bremen twice won the tournament in its earlier years, when both club and national teams competed, while Borussia Mönchengladbach were joint winners of the inaugural edition with Palmeiras.
