Mitoma scored a solo masterpiece, putting Brighton in the lead

Japanese winger Kaoru Mitoma dribbled from midfield to score the opening goal, helping Brighton beat Wolves 4-1 and move to the top of the Premier League.

In the 15th minute, Mitoma had the ball on the left wing about 50 meters from goal. From here, the 26-year-old Japanese winger broke through the middle, dribbled past four Wolves defenders, and then defeated goalkeeper Jose Sa.

After a solo masterpiece, Mitoma assisted Estupinan to double the lead in the 46th minute. In the 51st and 55th minutes, Solly March scored the remaining two goals for Brighton. Wolves only managed to get one goal back, with Hwang Hee-chan scoring in the 61st minute.

After the victory on the evening of August 19, Brighton took the lead in the Premier League with six absolute points and an 8-2 goal difference. Man City also had six points, but ranked second with a 4-0 goal difference. Previously, in the first round, Brighton ranked second thanks to defeating newcomer Luton Town 4-1.

Mitoma joined Brighton in 2021 from Kawasaki Frontale (Japan) for $3 million. The 26-year-old winger started playing for the English team last season, after a season on loan at Belgian club Union SG. In 43 games for Brighton, he scored 11 goals and assisted nine. Mitoma has assisted seven times in the Premier League, more than any other Japanese player in the history of the competition.

Mitoma (left) celebrates scoring against Wolves on the evening of August 19. Photo: PM

Mitoma is also a star for the Japanese national team. He has scored seven goals in 17 international matches, and was part of the squad that reached the 2022 World Cup round of 16 and the 2021 Olympic semi-finals.

At 16, Mitoma surprisingly turned down a professional contract to go to college. He then wrote his graduate thesis on the art of dribbling. Mitoma researched by attaching a camera to his head to record his movements and test which moves helped him get past his opponents.

Brighton moved to the top of the Premier League after selling Alexis Mac Allister to Liverpool, Robert Sanchez and Moises Caicedo to Chelsea. From these three transfers, they earned 223 million USD. Last season, the Falmer team also sold Yves Bissouma, Marc Cucurella, Neil Maupay and Leandro Trossard, earning 149 million USD. Brighton is famous for its policy of buying cheap and selling expensive. Before selling Alexis Mac Allister and Moises Caicedo this summer, they spent only 14 million USD to buy them.

Thanh Quy

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