'The most Daizen Maeda thing ever' – Celtic star in hilarious response after kicking ball into his own face

The wide man was left red-faced by the faux pas while on international duty with Japan

Daizen Maeda helped Japan take a step towards qualifying for the World Cup - but was left red-faced before the game after kicking the ball into his own face.

The Celtic star played his part alongside Kyogo to overcome China in a 3-1 victory as the two nations faced off for the first time in nine years. Tensions were high before the game with with a heavy police presence at the stadium before the Japanese national anthem was booed in Xiamen. A pitch invader also brought the clash to a halt - but there was a light-hearted moment involved Maeda before the game.

As he went through his pre-match warm-up, the forward took a shot towards goal which struck the post - before rebounding up and hitting him in the face. Hoops' fans were quick to have a cheeky jab at the star with one quipping: "The most Daizen Maeda thing I’ve ever seen."

Another chimed in: "This is too funny." One punter rounded off: "He’s doing it on purpose at this rate!"

But the man himself took the wind-up in stride - sharing the clip to his own social media. He posted to X: "Funny right? I did it on purpose!"

Brendan Rodgers will be hoping Maeda leaves his shooting boots behind as he prepares to jet back to Glasgow for the restart of the Premiership campaign. The Irishman has been full of praise for the wide man so far this season - previously stating: "I've seen reports in terms of the team doing very well, keeping clean sheets and the goalkeeper and the back four.

"It starts at the front. And I would doubt there's anyone better in world football than Daizen Maeda in that context."

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