Iniesta’s Japanese debut falls flat

Kobe: Spanish legend Andres Iniesta’s Japanese debut ended on a flat note on Sunday as Vissel Kobe crashed to an embarrassing 3-0 home defeat by J-League strugglers Shonan Bellmare.

The former Barcelona playmaker came off the bench after 58 minutes with Kobe already trailing by two goals and, despite one or two trademark flicks, failed to inspire a comeback in front of a crowd of 26,000.

Meanwhile, Iniesta’s one-time Spain teammate Fernando Torres also tasted defeat in his J-League debut for Sagan Tosu, who flopped 1-0 at home to Vegalta Sendai.