Yokohama FM 1-2 S-Pulse

Barry writes:

Yokohama FM 1-2 S-Pulse
Shimizu 82 -------------------------------- Okazaki 5, 42

Att. 27114

Line Up

GK Nishibe

DF Tsujio
DF Arata
DF Bosnar
DF Ota (yellow 81)

MF Yamamoto
MF Honda
MF Ono (yellow 15)

FW Hyodo
FW Johnsen
FW Okazaki (yellow 25)

Subs Used

Fujimoto on for Ono (69)
Ito on for M. Yamamoto (86)
Hiraoka on for Tsujio (90)

Report

We picked up a crucial away win to maintain our unbeaten start to the season and return, at least until Kashima play tomorrow, to the top of the table.

I didn't see the game due to Real Life commitments, but was eagerly checking my mobile phone for goal updates. The first one came almost immediately as Okazaki got back into scoring ways in the fifth minute. He doubled the lead just before the break, with both goals displaying his killer instinct as a predatory striker. His positioning and finishing were impeccable in both instances, and his seat on the plane to South Africa is surely set.

Ono was instrumental in both goals. The first came after Ono and Tsujio exchanged a killer one-two move to scythe down the right wing. Tsujio's cross was poorly cleared and Okazaki was clinical in his finishing. We made it two from Ono's looping freekick from the right which was spilt by the Marinos keeper. The ball fell again to Okazaki who made no mistake.

Yokohama didn't have a great day at the office, losing returnee Nakamura through injury in the 27th minute and having a penalty saved in the second half. But they were able to pull one back in the last ten minutes when Shimizu's header deflected off an S-Pulse defender to beat Nishibe. We held on for three valuable away points which helps keep up the momentum of our good start to 2010.

We managed to pick up three more yellow cards today to add to the five others already in the bag (Ono's on three in total already). We've not won fair play awards in the past by accident, so it would be a shame to see our fair play record slip.

Next up is Sendai a week tomorrow. See you there!

Videos etc

The goals, and Nishibe's penalty save.



This weekend's bonus video is of Sendai's supporters celebrating their 2-1 defeat of Kashima (and which means we spend the week top of the table).



I'm loving the crowd surfing on the left hand side. :)