Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Chengdu: Kaoru Morioka had a Saturday night to remember as he made it a triple celebration after being named the Abdullah Al Dabal MVP and AFC Futsal Club Championship Top Goalscorer following Nagoya Oceans’ final success over defending champions Chonburi Bluewave.
The bleach blonde-haired Morioka scored a brace in the 5-4 extra time victory over the 2013 winners to take his tally to five goals in the competition but it was his all-round contributions to Nagoya, which saw him pick-up four assists, which earned him most valuable player.
Morioka was also on target in the 6-2 win over Dabiri Tabriz of Iran in the semi-final and as well as netting against Australia’s Vic Vipers and home side Shenzhen Nanling Tielang as Nagoya topped Group A earlier in the week.
“This is my first time to win the MVP title at a tournament and it makes me very proud and will motivate me to improve and keep working harder to raise my levels and efforts even further,” said the 35-year-old Japan international.
“Even though I was part of the Japan team that won the AFC Futsal Championship earlier this year, I had a lot of injuries and problems at that tournament. At this competition, though, I had the chance to be involved a lot in every game and show my ability.
“It is good for us to play in a tournament like this and play in games like the final which was a tough and difficult contest against a great team – I’m delighted with the way everything has turned out.”
Nagoya coach Victor Garcia was equally effusive in praise for a player that helped his side become the first two-time winners of the AFC Futsal Club Championship, and the Spaniard insisted that Morioka was the kind of star who would elevate any side.
“Kaoru is a player who is distinct from all others in terms of ability. It’s a real joy and luxury to have a player like him on my team and any coach would love to have him on theirs,” said the Spaniard.
“When the game is difficult or going badly he raises his levels even higher and leads the team by example, he has so many qualities and I’m happy and proud for him that he was won the MVP award.”
Morioko’s team-mates Ximbinha and Wataru Kitahara also netted five times, as did Farid Namazi of Tabriz, Shenzhen’s Rubinho and Jirawat Sornwichian but all five tallied fewer assists than the Nagoya star.
Hamad Al Awadhi of Al Qadsia and Chonburi’s Suphawat Thueanklang were next on the list with four goals each, and three goals apiece for Lokomotiv Tashkent player Farkhod Abdumavlyanov and Danilo of Shenzhen rounded off the top ten.
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