After instant impact, Daisuke connects

Nishiguchi Daisuke is one happy Japanese man. Pune FC's latest Japanese acquisition has just discovered that a city hotel serves authentic sushi and his happiness at finally discovering a slice of his homeland after a month of eating curry is evident. "My time in India has been very enjoyable. I enjoy eating Indian curry but sushi and Japanese food is something I cannot live without," he says.

Daisuke scored two goals for Pune FC on Thursday and also created the winner scored by Jeje Lalpekhlua. Daisuke got his first goal after a pass from defender Chika Wali found him unmarked in the Mumbai FC box. The Japanese slipped the ball under the body of the advancing keeper and for his second, he hammered the ball into the far corner after taking a touch and wrong-footing the defender.

Daisuke's deft footwork and his blistering pace are sure to aid Pune FC's as the city side go searching for their first I-League title.

As Daisuke piles his plate high with all types of Japanese food and then slathers Wasabi sauce over his meal, the forward says that he has had the best start to his Indian adventure.

"Before the first match I was under pressure. Being a foreigner, people expected me to just jump in and start scoring goals. I couldn't score in the first game I played but getting on the scoresheet (He scored two goals against Mumbai FC) is a big relief," he says.

Daisuke cannot speak English and so his Pune FC teammate and a Japanese national himself till a month ago, Arata Izumi is translating for him. Isn't language a barrier for Daisuke in understanding what is it exactly that the coach wants? Arata translates the question and Daisuke ponders over it for a while. Then in a torrent of rapid-fire Japanese, the diminutive forward puts his point across. "I have been playing football for the past 19 years and so I don't really have any problems understanding instructions on the pitch. I can comprehend exactly what my teammates want me to do because football is a universal language," he says.

... contd.

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