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Harambee Stars captain Michael Olunga has shared how his knowledge of Japanese helped quell tensions between his teammates and the referee during Tuesday’s Champions League clash
Harambee Stars captain Michael Olunga saw the fun side of his Al Duhail’s teammates arguments with the referee during their Asian Champions League match away to Persepolis of Iran on Tuesday.
Olunga continued to write history as Al Duhail’s record Asian Champions League goalscorer, coming off the bench to score the winning goal as Al Duhail claimed a 2-1 victory, to end their campaign on a high.
Although he did score, it came at a cost as he had to be subbed off again in stoppage time after picking up an injury and replaced by Mohamed Al Naimi.
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Olunga managed to score having come off the bench, but it came at a cost as he had to limp off again after just 21 minutes.
However, his contribution appears to have been more than just scoring as he has jokingly shared how his knowledge of Japanese helped quell tensions between his teammates and the referee during the encounter.
“In yesterday's ACL match, the referee was Japanese, but thanks to the Japanese I had studied a little, I was able to communicate on behalf of my teammates. It was funny because it was broken,” Olunga posted on social media after the match.
Olunga was perhaps referring to his two-and-a-half two-year spell with Japanese side Kashiwa Reysol who he played for between August 2018 and January 2021 before leaving for Qatar.
The Kenyan international scored 58 goals in 72 games, 27 of those coming in his first season as Kashiwa Reysol won promotion to the top flight, before adding 28 the following campaign to bag the Golden Boot and Most Valuable Player of the Year awards.
He has continued his rich vein of form in Qatar where he has won the Golden Boot in each of the last two seasons, and his goal on Tuesday took his tally to 19 in the Asian Champions League, making him the top scorer for the Qatari champions in the competition’s history.
Al Duhail finished the group third on seven points, missing out on a place in the knockout stages, with Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr topping it with 14 points as Persepolis finished second with eight.
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Ayunga, who has already said he would love to help Harambee Stars qualify for the FIFA World Cup, has now clocked 90 minutes under his belt over two appearances since returning from ACL injury.
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