Wataru Endo captained Japan to a 4-2 victory over Vietnam in his first game away from Liverpool in the Asian Cup, and also assisted Takumi Minamino on a goal.
Endo will spend a long period away from Merseyside as he competes for titles with his country, with the Asian Cup taking place from January 12 to February 10.
On Sunday, Japan began their group matches with a victory over Vietnam, with the Liverpool midfielder playing the full 90 minutes as captain.
It was a former Reds player in Minamino who opened the scoring, although Japan soon fell behind when teenager Nguyen Dinh Bac equalized for Vietnam.
Vietnam took the lead in the 33rd minute with striker Pham Tuan Hai securing a shock lead, only for Endo to slot home Minamino to equalize on the cusp of half-time.
And before the break, Endo played it to Minamino, who passed to Keito Nakamura, with the Reims winger cutting off his right foot and firing a brilliant shot to make it 3-2.
Japan controlled the game after the break and sealed the three points when Ayase Ueda converted late on.
Endo played the full 90 minutes and, according to FotMob, made the most recoveries (12) and the most passes into the final third (19), as well as creating the second-most chances (two).
However, it was Minamino who was arguably the star, as the 28-year-old added an assist to his two goals, as well as being the only player to have more than one shot on goal, hitting three of four attempts. .
Although he failed to secure a starting role at Liverpool, Minamino is a key player for both Japan and new club Monaco.
This season, he has five goals and four assists in 16 games for the Ligue 1 team, as well as three goals and three assists in six games for Japan.
Japan’s next match is Iraq on Friday, while Indonesia and Iraq will play their first Group D matches on Monday.
