Celtic stars set sights on Qatar 2022 as Japan qualify for World Cup without them
Hatate was an unused substitute in the victory in Sydney while Celtic team-mate Daizen Maeda withdrew from the squad due to concerns about his fitness.
Kyogo Furuhashi missed out as he nears his return from a long-term hamstring injury and Yosuke Ideguchi wasn’t selected after making only a limited number of appearances for Celtic since his January move.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdHowever, despite not featuring in the match, all four of Celtic’s Japanese stars will now have designs on playing in Qatar 2022 after their country secured their place at a seventh consecutive finals thanks to two late goals from Kauro Mitoma in the 89th and 94th minute.
Australia, who were without injured Celtic midifelder Tom Rogic, could still qualify via the play-offs.
Celtic passed on their congratulations to the Japan team via Twitter.
Get a year of unlimited access to all The Scotsman's sport coverage without the need for a full subscription. Expert analysis of the biggest games, exclusive interviews, live blogs, transfer news and 70 per cent fewer ads on Scotsman.com - all for less than £1 a week. Subscribe to us today
Comments
Want to join the conversation? Please or to comment on this article.