Japan winger Shinji Kagawa kept Borussia Dortmund top of the German league with a touch of magic and his team-mates showered him with plaudits as they stay on course for the league and cup double.
Kagawa's goal on the stroke of half-time sealed Dortmund's 1-0 league win over Bayer Leverkusen on Saturday which keeps them two-points clear at the top of the Bundesliga and extended their streak to 15 games without defeat.
Having scored four goals in his last four games, Kagawa is in superb form and after Saturday's final whistle, his interpreter was working hard to help answer the barrage of questions from the waiting media in the mixed zone.
With Leverkusen hosting holders Barcelona in the Champions League on Tuesday, the guests came with a defensive policy and it took a magic moment from Kagawa to unlock their solid defence.
The 22-year-old found some space on the right side of the Leverkusen goal and despite being surrounded by a posse of four defenders, managed to fire home across the goal and outside the reach of the Leverkusen goalkeeper.
"I've often scored goals like this back in Japan," said Kagawa, who joined Dortmund from Cerezo Osaka in 2010.
"We Japanese are rather small, so we have to make up for it with quickness and agility."
It was Kagawa's seventh league goal of the season and tenth in all competitions, but was crucial to keep his team clear of second-placed Bayern Munich.
He also netted in the 4-0 German Cup quarter-final win at fourth division Holstein Kiel last Tuesday to keep his team on course for the double.
"Today he has rewarded us with a golden goal, because it was a tough match, as was expected," said Dortmund coach Jurgen Klopp.
Kagawa's lack of German means he has yet to give his first interview in the European language, but he does most of his talking on the pitch.
"Some of his moves are just insane," said Dortmund and Germany defender Mats Hummels, while midfieder Sven Bender enthused: "He does some sensational things and has incredible qualities".
Kagawa came off in the 89th minute against Leverkusen to chants of "Shinji! Shinji!" echoing around the sold-out Dortmund stadium in front of 80,400 spectators.
"If in the future I can play matches like that in front of fans like that, I would be happy," he admitted with his contract to run until 2013, but sure to be extended.
His eye-catching performances have inevitably drawn comparisons with Barcelona's midfield maestro Lionel Messi, but he modestly stone-walled the notion.
"That's out of the question," insisted Kagawa.
Source: AFP
