Japan forward Yoshinori Muto made his comeback Sunday after four months on the sidelines in Mainz's scoreless home draw against Cologne in the German Bundesliga.
Muto started after recovering from a right knee injury and lower-back pain and came off a minute before the final whistle, while another Japan striker, Yuya Osako, also fired blank for Cologne after playing the whole match.
"I wanted to get involved in goals. It'd have been great if I could have taken those few chances," said Muto, whose best opportunity came seven minutes after the break when his effort from inside the box was blocked by Cologne keeper Thomas Kessler.
"There's fear when I go for shots and that's something I have to get rid of," said the 24-year-old. "The manager (Martin Schmidt) cared about me and we've decided to delay the return last year. I've rested this long so now I'd like to just focus on getting the end product."
In England, Maya Yoshida came out on top in another battle of Japan internationals against Shinji Okazaki, as Southampton claimed a comprehensive 3-0 home win over struggling champions Leicester.
Yoshida, who wore the captain's armband after his defensive partner Virgil van Dijk was taken off in the 55th minute, helped end his side's four-game losing run while proving to be a viable replacement for former captain Jose Fonte, who signed for West Ham this month.
"I know I'll be compared to him," Yoshida said. "My performance is important but the result that comes with it too. I'm happy with our first sound win for some time."