S-Pulse 0-4 Hiroshima

Barry writes  

S-Pulse 0-4 Hiroshima 
---------------------------------- Ishihara 14
---------------------------------- Sato 69 (pen), 82
---------------------------------- Mizumoto 73

Nihondaira
Att. 13137

Line Up

GK Hayashi

DF Takaki
DF Okane (38, 59)
DF Jong-a-Pin (68)
DF Yoshida

MF Muramatsu
MF Sugiyama
MF Hattanda

FW Ishige
FW Bare
FW Kawai (44)

Subs Used

Takagi on for Ishige (HT)
Senuma on for Hattanda (70)
Lee Min-Soo on for Takaki (87)

Report

Well, bugger me. Another spanking. This time thanks in large to a second yellow for Okane which left us short handed against the champions. Already 1-0 down, the game was decided at that moment.

The fairly unimpressive league title winners took a half chance in the first half to go in with the advantage. It was an lead they deserved by dint of being more deadly in front of goal. Apart from that one goal, both teams were making a lot of passing movement, but not creating a lot at the end of it.

The second half was a different story, with S-Pulse looking likely to restore parity. Bare off the bar! It was coming, but a late tackle from Okane on the hour which the ref deemed worthy of a second yellow, put the kibosh on that. Can't help thinking Jumpei Iida was too eager with his card. Okane's a young lad and not wont to play dirty. Already on a yellow, you'd have hoped the ref would take him aside, tell him to calm it down etc etc. They are granted license to use their judgement after all. Well, no. He just reached for his pocket.

After that it was a familiar story that played out. Our beleaguered heroes trooped off at the end, not to boos, but to a rousing chorus of S-Pulse! S-Pulse! You all know what happened after the league cup game with Iwata, but the majority of our fans know we're in a rut, and the worst thing they can do is get on the team's  back.

The team was warmly welcomed, and cheered off at the end

It's a rough old time of it right now, but everyone knows they can do better, and know they will. As the old saying goes, We Believe. Believing's easy when you're riding high, but when you're down, struggling and wondering where your next win's gonna come from, that's when you need to man up. 13000 at Nihondaira on Saturday did just that. We're only four games into the season. Bring on the next 30!

Highlights