The Saints veteran captained the St Mary’s Stadium side in the first half against Guangzhou R&F in Macau.
Southampton defender Maya Yoshida has spoken highly of his side’s trip to China, describing it as good for the footballing future of the Saints (official Southampton website).
The Premier League side played an exhibition match in the autonomous region of Macau, running out 4-0 winners over Chinese Super League outfit Guangzhou R&F at the Estadio Campo Desportivo.
Yoshida captained a young Southampton side in the first half as goals from Che Adams, Shane Long, Yan Valery and Christoph Klarer saw the Saints record a resounding victory.
“It’s been a great experience and it’s good for the young players,” the Japan international, who joined the club in 2012, told the official club website.
“It’s good for the club as the Asian football market is getting huge now, especially in China. People recognise Southampton much more than they did five years ago so it’s a good step for our football future.”
As reported by the Daily Echo, the trip was undertaken by boss Ralph Hasenhuttl, some of his coaching staff, and a group of players, made up of a handful of senior stars and padded out by youngsters, as the club “aim to please owner Gao Jisheng”.
The outlet added that Hasenhuttl and the senior players headed immediately for the airport to fly to Dublin where the rest of the first team squad will be based for a week-long training camp, while remainder of the players and staff will travel back to Southampton on Wednesday.
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