A striker finally scoring his first league goal 15 games into a season wouldn't normally be greeted with murmurs of excitement, but then Naohiro Takahara's track record has earned him the benefit of the doubt.
Takahara, a player with 57 caps and 23 international goals to his name in a career spent at clubs in Japan, Argentina and Germany, scored Reds' second in Saturday's 2-0 win over Vissel Kobe, capping an assured performance full of menace and aggression.
Anyone watching the 30-year-old for the first time would struggle to comprehend why he has not appeared for his country since a 0-0 draw with Paraguay in May last year, particularly given Japan's well-documented troubles in front of goal.