Sint-Truiden recorded a great victory against Mechelen on Friday evening, thus doing an excellent job in the fight for maintenance. Indeed, the Canaries have climbed to ninth place in the standings and are moving away from the danger zone.
However, there was a halt to the celebrations. Very early in the match, Sint-Truiden had to continue playing without Shogo Taniguchi. The experienced Japanese defender fell in a duel with Lauberbach and had to be replaced after less than a quarter of an hour. At Stayen, there was immediate fear of a serious injury.
End of season for Taniguchi
Het Belang van Limburg reports that these fears have proven correct. Indeed, examinations revealed that Taniguchi suffered from a torn Achilles tendon. He will have to go under the knife and undergo rehabilitation for at least six months.
As a result, the 33-year-old will immediately have to give up the rest of his season. This is a big blow for Sint-Truiden because Taniguchi was a regular player until now. He played 12 times in the league and scored one goal.
Hard blow for Sint-Truiden and Japan
The defender became an important player at lightning speed after only moving to Stayen during the summer. The Limburg club snatched Taniguchi for free from the Qatari club Al-Rayyan, whom he wanted to leave to remain with the Japanese national team.
It worked out well, as Taniguchi played with Japan in September and October. He was also expected to join his country next week for the Asian Cup qualifiers against Indonesia and China.
