Birmingham City have clear Championship cheat code - Ipswich Town saw it | OneFootball

Kyogo Furuhashi impressed on his debut for Birmingham City, with Ipswich seeing just how much of a cheat code he could be for the Blues this season.

Making his debut in Birmingham's 1-1 draw against Ipswich Town, Kyogo Furuhashi is already looking like a fantastic acquisition for the Blues.

Chris Davies' side picked up a point in their opening match of the 2025/26 season against one of the sides tipped as red-hot favourites to get promoted.

George Hirst's late penalty saw Ipswich drag themselves level in added time, after Birmingham were arguably the better side for the majority of the encounter. At the heart of this was the new arrival Kyogo.

The Japanese forward signed for the club this summer, joining from Rennes after previously tearing apart the Scottish Premiership for Celtic.

Despite not getting on the scoresheet on opening night, the 30-year-old looked a cut above, and there were clear signs that his energy and sharpness will be a major boost for Birmingham this season.

Kyogo's impressive Birmingham debut

In a surprise move, Kyogo was picked to start up top with Jay Stansfield, ahead of Tommy Doyle, who had shone for the Blues in the number 10 role throughout pre-season.

The forward would not disappoint. Within seven minutes, Kyogo found himself in behind after a battle with Jacob Greaves, and expertly lobbed the ball into the back of the net over the top of Alex Palmer.

However, after contact between the energetic striker and Greaves, referee Andrew Kitchen controversially blew his whistle for a foul on the defender.

Continuing to be a nuisance with his movement, tenacity and all-around energy, the 30-year-old was proving why the Blues were willing to spend as much as £10 million to secure his services this summer.

He would go on to play a huge role in Birmingham's first goal back in the second tier. Once again, his signature movement saw him slipped through, before attempting another audacious chip over the top of an onrushing Palmer, for Jay Stansfield to hammer home after the ball ricocheted off the post.

The Blues weren't able to take all three points on opening night. However, their bolstered squad looked more than ready to battle at the top end of the Championship, and the experienced Japanese forward will be a huge asset for the Blues in this regard.

Ipswich were the first to witness his ability, with it being clear after just one match that Kyogo's individual levels sit higher than those of the Championship, and he is set to be a cheat code for Chris Davies to call upon throughout the term.

Birmingham have immense attacking quality

With Kyogo settling in and looking a cut above from the get-go, Blues fans have reason to be excited as they look to throw themselves into the promotion-chasers group.

Birmingham have also added experienced German forward Marvin Ducksch to their ranks, with the technically gifted 31-year-old signing from Werder Bremen after netting eight times and providing eight assists in the Bundesliga last term.

Kyogo, Ducksch, and the already EFL-proven Jay Stansfield bring a guarantee of goals at St Andrews, with fantastic service to be provided by the likes of Tommy Doyle and Demarai Gray, who made his second debut for the club against Ipswich after making his return this summer.

After netting 84 times in League One as they stormed to the title, Birmingham are looking to make their Championship stay a short one, and they most definitely carry the firepower to bring their ambitions to fruition.