Reims' left-winger attacks the far post relentlessly and finishes with either foot.
Tournament Chronicle
A biography that grows match by match- 2026-06-25M036
The chance turned around the post
Right on the stroke of half-time, Keito Nakamura had Japan's sharpest opening of a goalless first half. From inside the box he forced Sweden goalkeeper Jacob Widell Zetterström into a good save, the ball turned around the post for a corner. It did not count, but it was the clearest sign of the pressure Japan were building — pressure that paid off ten minutes after the restart when they finally went ahead.
- 2026-06-21M034
The run that opened the game
Japan's whole afternoon started on the left boot of Keito Nakamura. Four minutes in, he carried the ball into the Tunisia box, beat his man and pulled a low cross back across the face of goal for Daichi Kamada to finish. With Takefusa Kubo out injured, Nakamura was the one giving Japan their cutting edge from wide, and his early delivery set the tone for a 4-0 win. Not the name on the scoresheet, but the reason the scoreline started moving when it did.
- 2026-06-15M031
The first answer to van Dijk
After Virgil van Dijk headed the Netherlands ahead early in the second half, Keito Nakamura provided Japan's first reply. Fed by Takefusa Kubo down the left, his 57th-minute shot took a deflection and beat the goalkeeper. It was not a clean strike, but it was the product of Japan finally working into a shooting position — and it kept the opener alive until the late drama arrived.
