0KILMARNOCK, Scotland (Kyodo) Japan midfielder Shunsuke Nakamura hit a brace for Scottish champions Celtic and national teammate Naohiro Takahara scored his first goal of the season in the German Bundesliga in European football action Sunday.
Shunsuke Nakamura of Celtic scores his second goal against Kilmarnock in the league champion's 4-1 win at Rugby Park in Kilmarnock, Scotland.
Nakamura helped Celtic to a comfortable 4-1 win at Kilmarnock after opening the scoring when he curled an eighth-minute free kick into the top right corner of the net before adding his second in the 82nd with a clinical finish in front of the goal.
John Hartson and Dion Dublin were also on target for Celtic, who had won their 40th Scottish league title in midweek.
"Both of my goals came exactly the way I pictured," Nakamura said. "We had a 4-3-3 formation in the game and it helped me make attacking moves and feeding passes very comfortably."
It was the first two-goal game for Nakamura in his first season in Scotland, increasing his season goal tally to six.
In the German first division, Takahara came on as a substitute in the 81st minute and found the net in injury time as second-placed Hamburg SV beat Borussia Moenchengladbach 2-0 to close the gap on leaders Bayern Munich to four points.
Takahara, who has had a frustrating spell all season at Hamburg, was put clear on goal and finished off a counterattack with a chip over Borussia goalkeeper Kasey Keller for the home side's second goal following a 34th-minute penalty from Rafael van der Vaart.
"I thought I might end the season without scoring a goal, so it's good that I turned this small chance into a goal and I feel happy about it," Takahara said.
