MANCHESTER, England (AP) -- When he was a 5-year-old boy, Japan striker Kensuke Nagai arrived in Brazil and soon started playing barefoot soccer in the streets with his neighbors.
Now, Nagai hopes he'll face Brazil in the final of the men's Olympic football tournament so he can showcase the silky skills he learned during his childhood.
"This is the first time for me to participate in such a big international competition, so I want to prove how much I can play," Nagai said.
While in Brazil, he started playing several different sports in the city of Ipatinga, where his parents had a business. There was a soccer field, swimming pool and tennis court nearby. It was soccer that captured him.
Now he's got shoes, and they have been tearing up the turf at the London Games. He has scored two goals so far, including Japan's first in a 3-0 win over Egypt at Old Trafford on Saturday to help his team reach its first Olympic semifinal since 1968.
But it's not only his goals that people are talking about. His lightning-quick pace and agility are capable of turning the opposing defense into shambles in a matter of seconds. It draws defenders toward him, allowing his teammates to become open and create scoring opportunities.
"I think my pace and speed are threats for the teams I played against so far and I gained some more confidence from that," Nagai said.
A Premier League scout watching Japan play Spain in Glasgow was impressed with Nagai's movement, saying his runs behind the back line were tormenting defenders. Spain lost the match 1-0 in an upset, finishing with 10 men after center back Inigo Martinez was sent off before halftime while trying to stop Nagai as he charged toward goal. In Newcastle, he scored a late winner in a 1-0 win over Morocco, sending the Japanese into the quarterfinals.
"The weapon he's got is his speed and we want to make the best use out of it," Japan coach Takashi Sekizuka told reporters a day before the Egypt match.
Nagai, who plays for Japanese club team Nagoya Grampus, has his sights set on playing in another league one day. For now, he wants to help the Olympic team win a medal to add to Japan's bronze at the 1968 Mexico Games, and he hopes fate sets up a final against Brazil.
"It is a good chance for me to estimate my pace and speed against a top team in the world," Nagai said.