Eibar midfielder Takashi Inui opened his account for the season on Sunday in a 2-1 loss away against Levante in the Spanish top flight.

Inui found the net in the 51st minute after his team pressed high to win possession in the opposition box, calmly stroking home the loose ball.

But the home side turned the match with a pair of counterattacking goals, first from Gonzalo Melero, with a well-taken volley in the 65th minute, and then a tap-in from Jose Luis Morales 11 minutes later.

The 32-year-old Inui, one of the stars of Japan's 2018 World Cup campaign, has now scored in each of the past six La Liga seasons.

Yoshinori Muto came off the bench in the 73rd minute for Eibar but was unable to add to his tally.

In late November, the 28-year-old player became the first Japanese player to score in each of the German Bundesliga, English Premier League and La Liga. World Cup teammate Shinji Okazaki, of Spanish side Huesca, equaled the feat a week later.