Hiroshi Kiyotake set up a goal before opening his La Liga account as Sevilla overpowered Espanyol 6-4 in a frenetic season opener on Saturday.
Kiyotake, starting on the right of a five-man midfield, delivered a corner from the left for Luciano Vietto in the 22nd minute as Sevilla came from behind to lead 2-1. The away side scored two to regain advantage, however, before the Argentine volleyed in to make it 3-3 right before the break.
Manager Jorge Sampaoli's men then netted twice to take control before Kiyotake added his name to the score sheet in the 74th minute. The 26-year-old sprinted behind the defense and rolled home between the 'keeper's legs after a through ball from another Argentine Franco Vazquez.
"The type of football he (Sampaoli) wants demands us to run, attack, then defend and it's really toning me up," said Kiyotake, who received vociferous support from the home faithful at Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan Stadium who serenaded their new signing from Hannover with chants of "Kiyo."
It didn't end perfectly, however, for Kiyotake, who was crisp and comfortable on the ball apart from one moment. Five minutes after his goal, his back-pass was caught by Espanyol's Gerard Moreno, who seized the opportunity to score the game's final goal.
"Kiyotake had a wonderful game. There are too many things he offered (to his team) and I can't recall mistakes," the former Chile coach said.
Kiyotake said, "I realize I've come to a team where winning is a must. It's a good pressure to have."
In Austria, Rio Olympic forward Takumi Minamino opened his season's account by scoring the opener in Salzburg's 3-1 home win over Mattersburg.
In Switzerland, Yuya Kubo scored once in Young Boys' 7-2 mauling of Lausanne.