Bayern Munich women's midfielder Moeko Tanigawa started against RB Leipzig in Round 8 of the Women's Bundesliga on October 23rd and contributed to a 5-1 victory. The highlight of the match was an acrobatic goal scored from a corner kick from the right in the 8th minute of the first half. Immediately after the goalkeeper released the ball, Tanigawa reacted instantly and met the ball floating in the air with his right foot from a position with his back turned. The goalkeeper was completely taken aback and the ball curved into the goal.
Kosuke Ota, an alumnus of the Japanese national team who saw this goal, praised Tanigawa's Golasso, calling it ``truly a monster,'' and said it was on a different level. Mr. Ota highly praised his brilliant idea of taking shots from long distances and angles, as well as his decisiveness despite his youth. Furthermore, he called Tanigawa's diverse scoring patterns - long shots, midrange shots, and goals from dribbling breakthroughs - a ``golasso machine,'' and pointed out the possibility that she could become a source of points from set pieces at the Women's World Cup in the future.
Tanigawa is also good at playing in midfield and is known as a player with a strong sense of scoring. Ota said it would be a waste to keep him in the midfield and said he hopes he will play an active role in the front line. Furthermore, he stated that he has the "potential" to become a world-class striker, surpassing Australia's Sam Kerr, and stated that he has high expectations for him as Japan's Sam Kerr.
This goal showed his courage and skill to make decisions at Bayern, one of the best clubs in the world, at the young age of 21, and Ota described him as ``a vessel that will shock the world.'' While Tanigawa's future activities are attracting attention, expectations for the Women's World Cup are also rising. Fans and experts will continue to pay attention to how she will contribute to the team in the upcoming matches and how she will perform on the international stage.