Monaco's Takumi Minamino becomes top Japanese scorer in Champions League

Monaco's Takumi Minamino reacts during a Champions League playoff second leg soccer match between SL Benfica and AS Monaco at the Luz stadium in Lisbon, Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2025.

Monaco's Takumi Minamino reacts during a Champions League playoff second leg soccer match between SL Benfica and AS Monaco at the Luz stadium in Lisbon, Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Armando Franca)


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LISBON, Portugal — Takumi Minamino's first-half goal against Benfica made the Monaco winger the highest-scoring Japanese player in the Champions League. The 30-year-old Minamino fired a low shot from inside the box in the 22nd minute for the visitors in a second-leg 3-3 playoffs draw that saw Benfica advance to the round of 16 on a 4-3 aggregate score. That was Minamino's fifth career Champions League goal — moving him one ahead of both Shinji Kagawa and Daizen Maeda as the Japanese player with the most goals in Europe's elite club competition (group stage onwards) according to UEFA.

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