Japan suffered an injury casualty for the second straight day as Urawa Reds midfielder Yuki Abe pulled out of the upcoming Iceland friendly on Tuesday. Yokohama F Marinos' Hiroyuki Taniguchi was called up to replace Abe, who is back in the J-League after spending the last one-and-a-half seasons in the English Championship with Leicester City.
Abe strained his left calf in training ahead of Friday's match at Nagai Stadium, just a night after Jubilo Iwata's Hidetaka Kanazono suffered a broken metatarsal. The 23-year-old Kanazono on Tuesday was ruled out for three months. The new J-League season opens March 10. "It's truly disappointing," Kanazono said in a statement through Jubilo. "It's a real shame to have to pull out like this. I hope to work hard at Iwata so I can be called up again."
Published on Thursday, 23 February 2012
