Ryo Miyaichi arrived in Rotterdam as a nobody. Fast forward three weeks, the Feyenoord faithful have themselves a new hero. The youngster, on loan from Arsenal, impressed again tonight, in a 2-1 win over Heracles Almelo.
Miyaichi’s rise has been nothing short of incredible. An unknown who had failed a trial at FC Köln months earlier, he turned in mixed reviews during two trial games in the summer. He then broke his leg during a trial with Ajax, but was eventually signed by the Gunners in a protracted transfer.
The winger, who had only ever played Japanese University football, showed true class on his Eredivisie debut last week, winning the Man of the Match award in a 1-1 draw with Vitesse Arnhem. It was his first professional start.
Ryo lined up on the left of a front three again this evening, as 46,000 fans packed out Feyenoord’s De Kuip stadium. The game started slowly, with the 18-year-old looking a little daunted by the cauldron of noise.
That said, Miyaichi did create the first real chance of the game. He came in off the touchline, showed some neat foot work and then shot just wide of the far post. It seemed to give him a much needed boost of confidence.
Indeed, minutes later, Feyenoord had opened the scoring. Diego Biseswar skipped away down the wing, he looked up, spotted Miyaichi and picked him out. Ryo chested the ball down, shifted possession from his right foot to his left, and drilled home. It was a super goal, showing a number of his qualities.
Everybody had been sucked into the penalty area, expecting a low cross, but Ryo held his run and intelligently found space. The first touch, control and composure on the finish, all brilliant.
He should have had a second moments after. He accelerated away from two Heracles players on the wing, then beat another with some step overs, before unleashing a 20 yard pile driver, just tipped over. As half time approached, he did a similar thing again, but instead of shooting, he crossed. The ball worked its way out to the edge of the box to Biseswar. He cut inside and curled home number two.
Half time arrived with chants of “Ryo, Ryo, Ryo” echoing all over the De Kuip stadium.
The second half was a much more even and open affair. Feyenoord were on the ropes after conceding just before the break, but used Miyaichi’s pace via counter attacks well. A chipped ball into the box combined with a brilliant cross field pass showed he isn’t all about offering a direct threat.
Ryo began to tire from the 70 minute mark onwards. However, he continued to put a shift in, closing down the goalkeeper on two occasions and almost picking out a man out to score after Luc Castaignos rounded the ‘keeper. He also won two free-kicks late on which wasted key time.
The full time whistle couldn’t come quick enough for Feyenoord, who pick up more important points in their attempts to avoid relegation.
Overall:
Miyaichi showed once more what an exciting prospect he is. A natural winger, he can play on either winger and is totally comfortable with either foot. His best assets are his electric pace, agility, skills and lovely close control.
Tactically he seems decent, but could use some work and while he is a good height, a lack of physical power is an issue. However, he does fight for the ball, isn’t afraid to track back and works very, very hard. A young man with a very bright future in the game.
You can watch Ryo’s goal here.