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Birmingham City drew their opening Championship contest, and despite Jay Stansfield bagging the goal for Chris Davies’ side, it was Kyogo Furuhashi who stole the show.
The opening game of the 2025/26 Championship season saw Birmingham City held by Ipswich Town after an assured performance by Chris Davies’s side.
Birmingham City were on top of the recently-relegated Premier League side in the first half, and they made their pressure count in the second stanza after an instinctive finish from Jay Stansfield opened the scoring.
The Blues looked set to see out the game to get Davies a win on the opening Championship weekend; however, Ipswich Town brought the game level from the spot to make it 1-1.
Whilst Stansfield may grab the headlines for his goal, all eyes were on new Birmingham City ace Kyogo Furuhashi.
The former Celtic star arrived for a £10m fee, and as a result, held plenty of expectation that he had to live up to. After just one game, it is clear that Birmingham City might have made one of the signings of the summer to bring in the striker.
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What Birmingham City fans said after ‘incredible’ Kyogo Furuhashi debut
In Kyogo Furuhashi’s first competitive match for Birmingham City, it is safe to say that the Japanese international has already become a firm fan favourite at St Andrews.
Despite not managing to get on the scoreline, the Blues’ forward was sensational on his debut, whether it was showing his quality on the ball, or his desire to hunt down the Ipswich Town backline.
Following the game, Blues fans were quick to praise Kyogo, as one supporter wrote on X: “If he puts even 10% of the effort he put in today’s game for the rest of the season, it would still be incredible!”
Supporters also said that Birmingham City have a ‘special player’ on their hands, with some detailing his ‘movement’ to be a ‘joke’.
One fan also said: “Kyogo in the championship is a cheat code,” whilst he was also labelled as an ‘absolute baller’ who will no doubt ‘score loads of goals’.
Kyogo Furuhashi’s dynamism will be crucial for Chris Davies this season
Whilst Birmingham City did not get the win they arguably deserved on the evening, many will be going home discussing the prominent impact that Kyogo Furuhashi had on the game.
The Blues striker proved to be brilliant on the ball, but one thing that some may have missed was his ability to track the ball and consistently put pressure on Ipswich Town.
Many Birmingham City fans were aware of Kyogo’s abilities in front of goal, based on his time at Celtic; however, his energy certainly took many by surprise. If the Japanese star can provide this consistently, he will prove to be a key man for Chris Davies’ side.