Celtic duo watch on as Japan pile even more pressure on Germany boss Hansi Flick - but they may get chance in Genk

Japan's midfielder Ao Tanaka wheels away in celebration after scoring his team's third goal against Germany.

Celtic forwards Daizen Maeda and Kyogo Furuhashi were both unused substitutes as Japan piled even more pressure on under-fire Germany manager Hansi Flick with an eye-catching 4-1 victory in Wolfsburg.

The former Bayern Munich boss has now overseen four defeats in the last five games, which comes on the back of a group-stage exit at last year’s World Cup. The pressure is increasing on the 58-year-old, with director of the Germany national team Rudi Voller noticeably evasive when asked about his manager’s future. Voller said in a television interview, reported by German newspaper De Bild: “We should collect ourselves first. There will be a bit of training tomorrow. Then we play against France. Afterwards, we should first reflect and think about what happens next. Let’s see.”

Japan, whose 2-1 victory in Qatar sent Germany home from the World Cup, went ahead through Junya Ito before Leroy Sane levelled. But second-half goals from Ayase Ueda, Takuma Asano and Ao Tanaka saw Japan coast to victory at the Volkswagen Arena, where the crowd turned on their side at full-time. Flick replaced long-time boss Joachim Low in August 2021 but has won less than half of his 25 games in charge.

While Celtic duo Maeda and Furuhashi were both left on the bench by Japan manager Hajime Moriyasu, both players may get their chance to play for the Blue Samurai before the international window is over, with the Japanese due to take on Turkey in a friendly on Tuesday at Cegeka Arena in Genk, Belgium.