If it weren't for Kazuyoshi Arai's 95th-minute kill, Ogawa would have been Yokohama's hero again. After a series of blows such as a ruptured cruciate ligament in his left knee, a new crown infection, and a defeat in the Tokyo Olympic squad, the former ace striker of the Japanese national youth team has finally been reborn at Yokohama FC this season.
Last weekend in the 9th round of the J2 League, Yokohama FC played away to Chiba Ichihara. The leader Yokohama was caught up in a bitter battle from the beginning of the game, and Chiba, who played at home, completely suppressed the opponent, and Yokohama not only could not organize a decent attack, but also could not even achieve continuous passing. It wasn't until the end of the first half that Yokohama FC seized a chance, with Ryu Hasegawa also sending a cross from the left side of the field, and Ogawa Inuyasha in the penalty area broke through the top, which was also his eighth goal this season! In the second half, Chiba put more pressure on Yokohama, and in the 95th minute, Kazuya Arai's header was completed in a tie, and the two teams finally shook hands 1-1. The draw also ended the record of Ogawa's goal and Yokohama's victory.
Born in 1997, Hangji Ogawa was born in Kirito Park, and after graduating from high school, he joined J-League powerhouse Iwata Joy. As a rare high school striker in Japanese football, Ogawa Hangki has been pinned on high hopes since his debut, and Iwata directly gave him the no. 18 jersey of the legendary Maeda.
In his debut season, Ogawa only made two appearances in the Japan League Cup. However, he is the main force in the Japanese national youth team, you must know that this national youth team is shouldering the responsibility of representing Japan in the Olympic Games on its own, and Ogawa scored 32 goals in 35 appearances for the Japanese national youth team in 15-17 years, which is a terrible goal efficiency!
However, Ogawa Hangji's good fortune came to an abrupt end in 2017. In the first match of the U20 World Cup against South Africa, Ogawa Scored a goal to help Japan beat their opponents 2-1. Immediately after the second game against South American powerhouse Uruguay, Ogawa was seriously injured when he landed on a high-altitude ball in the first half, and was diagnosed with a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee and a meniscus injury after the game, which also cost him a full season.
The cost of this serious injury to Ogawa Hangji was enormous, and after returning from the nearly one-year truce, he was completely out of shape, and the main position in the Japanese national youth team was also taken away by Ueda Akiyoshi and Tagawa Kosuke. In his three and a half seasons for Joy Iwata, Hangki Ogawa scored one goal in just 23 league appearances. In the summer of 2019, Ogawa Hangki came to mito marshmallow, the "training mecca" of the forward, where he finally found the feeling of scoring goals, scoring 7 goals in half a season.
It was also in the same year that Ogawa's parent team, Iwata Joy, was unexpectedly relegated. Back in the familiar J2 arena, he became Iwata's main striker for the first time, but he scored only 10 goals in two seasons. Such a performance made him unsurprisingly lose the big list for the Tokyo Olympic Games in Japan.
The former "Tokyo Generation" striker was also very disappointed, Ogawa said: "At that time, I set myself the goal of going from the Tokyo Olympics to the world. But after losing the big list, I thought I could have done more. And seeing other players playing in the Olympics, I felt sad and frustrated that I wasn't on the stage I wanted. ”
In 2022, Iwata Joy upgraded, but Ogawa Hangji left. Although Iwata hopes to continue to let Ogawa go on loan, he himself chose not to leave any back, joined Yokohama FC in the form of a transfer, and returned to his hometown to start over. In fact, the Yokohama forward team that aims to upgrade is extremely strong, Brazilian foreign aid Mineiro + Kleber, and Ito Sho, so the arrival of Ogawa Hangji is not optimistic for many people.
But sometimes the opportunity is left to those who are prepared, and due to the impact of the new crown epidemic, Japan implemented a lockdown policy at the beginning of the year, and the top scorer Mineiro was unable to enter. Ayuki Ogawa scored a goal in the first match against the Omiya Squirrels, which also established his main position in one fell swoop. When talking about the ball, Ogawa also laughed: "This ball means a lot to me, as a striker, no matter what form of goal, being able to score in the opener is a very positive thing for me." ”
Initially, in Yokohama's 3-4-2-1 system, Ogawa was more often behind the center, playing the role of "2". But as the game progressed, Ogawa was also pushed into the center position, closer to the goal and more suitable for him to play. And Ogawa Hangji not only played his fulcrum role more fully, but also scored more diversely, and he scored a very beautiful long-range shot against his old owner Mito.
Currently, Hangki Ogawa has scored eight goals in nine games, leading the J2 League top scorers list. In an interview, Ogawa Also talked about his dream: "Many of the same players have gone through the Olympic Games to play in the European League, which has always been my dream, and I will not give up. Of course, standing on the World Cup stage was also my childhood dream, so I had to score more goals, and if I only scored one or two more goals than others by September, it would be difficult to get into the national team. ”
Participating in the World Cup may be a bit distant for Ogawa Hangji. But to be able to get back out of the serious injury, and then harvest love last year, and get his career back on track, this is enough for Ogawa Hangji.