Japan national team coach Takeshi Okada was impressed by the international debut of Takayuki Morimoto.

The 21-year old Catania striker was introduced with just over half an hour remaining of the match against Scotland on Saturday and despite not scoring, was instrumental in helping the Blue Samurai record a 2-0 friendly win.

"I thought Morimoto was outstanding tonight," Okada told The Daily Yomiuri.

"The second goal was a product of him turning and shooting on instinct. He had a real presence in front of the goal, much better than we ever expected.

"We struggled to pick up the tempo during the first half. We eventually got it going, and I think a lot of the new players who stepped in showed that they're capable of."

Morimoto was delighted to finally have made his debut and was content with his and the team's performance.

"I am delighted to have played against an important Scotland side," Morimoto said to Datasport.

"After missing out on the games with Ghana and the Netherlands because of injury, I had hoped to play even though I was happy to be included amongst my fellow countrymen.

"The coach has displayed great faith in me and he was sure I was going to score. Unfortunately I wasn't able to fulfill his prediction, but he was satisfied with my display and I share his sentiments on an important result."