SHIMIZU S-PULSE 3-2 jubilo iwata

Barry writes

SHIMIZU S-PULSE 3-2 jubilo iwata
Takagi 45 ------------------------------------------------ Cho 12
Omae 48, 88 ------------------------------------------- Yamamoto 94

Att. 16334

Line Up

GK Hayashi

DF Yoshida
DF Hiraoka
DF Jong a Pin
DF Lee
DF Muramatsu (50)

MF Brosque
MF Takagi
MF Omae
MF Edamura

FW Franca (55)

Subs used

Kawai on for Yoshida (29)
Ono on for Edamura (66)
Takahara on for Franca (83)

Report

That makes it now nine years unbeaten at home in the derby, but our first home derby win since 2009, so boy did we enjoy it.

Took a little while, though. Awful slippery conditions, granted, but we started pretty wretchedly and were second best for most of the first half. Jubilo played a primary school esque swarm style of football, and in the wet conditions which made long passing a treacherous business, closing down our players with three blue shirts every time paid off for them.

Yoshida's early substitution for Kawai made a big impact on the game, and it transpires his ankle was giving him problems. This made things hard work and his game was suffering. Kawai, who has just signed a full Pro A contract, slotted into right back and was commanding throughout. Speaking of defences, we should call Jong a Pin The Wall. Nothing got past him all game, and if he's not one of the top defenders in the country then I don't know who is. Instrumental in our back four, which was missing Iwashita through injury.

So after the injured Yoshida was replaced, things improved and culminated in our equaliser from a bullet header from Takagi. Toshiyuki lost his marker (was there even one to begin with?) and slammed it home. Jubilo had taken the lead from a corner which was pretty poorly defended by ourselves to be fair, but that was their only effort all half, despite our struggling. 

The second 45 was a different story, and our stall was set out right away. Just three minutes in, a pin point cross from Takagi was met by a stampeding Genki who, completely, totally, 100% free, had all the time in the world to meet the ball perfectly and slam it in the back of the net. The stadium erupted. Only after we were leading did we introduce Ono and Takahara, and it's crucial that we can control and lead a game without these two important players. 

Genki had been waiting for his first goal and that lifted some pressure off. Not just for him, but that goal really seemed to settle us, and we played a much more relaxed game in the second half. Takahara came on for the last ten minutes and was giving Jubilo all kinds of problems. He got a decent shot in at one point and at was the man to lay the ball off to Genki who beat three defenders and poked the ball past the keeper while falling over. A goal of quality.

But for a late consolation from the visitors, it was game over and despite the rain and cold, Nihondaira was rocking to the awesome sound of another derby victory. When it all comes together, nowhere in the country is like it. 

PROUD OF YOU, LADS!!

Pictures

Special guest Cho Jae-jin got a very warm welcome back to Nihondaira

The kanji on the white banner reads: LOL :-D :-D

Goal heroes Takagi and Omae

Videos

Goals and kachiloko.



Omae's goals in super slow motion. Tell you what, watching this happen live right in front of you was bloody GOLDEN.




Mine. Full time whistle from the restart of Jubilo's late consolation. The song after the end is their victory chant modified for our own ends, while the singing of another team's name is usually reserved for the valiant efforts of amateur or university teams. Pretty apt given Iwata's defending. :)