Sunday 16 February 2014

S-Pulse 5-1 Kawasaki Frontale (Pre-season)

Barry BARRY WRITES...  

S-Pulse 5-1 Kawasaki Frontale 
Hiraoka 27 ------------ Morishima 33
Novakovič 45+1, 68
Nagasawa 51
Jong-a-Pin 88 

Att 7223
IAI Stadium Nihondaira 
February 16th 2014, 1.30pm

Line Up

GK Kushibiki 

DF Yoshida
DF Hiraoka
DF Jong-a-Pin
DF Kawai


MF Takeuchi
MF
Muramatsu (76)
MF Omae


FW Takagi T.
FW Nagasawa
FW Novakovič 

Subs Used

Takagi Y. on for Nagasawa (62)
Honda on for Takeuchi (62)
Murata on for Takagi T. (78)
Ishige on for Omae (82)
Musaka on for Kawai (82)
Kaneko on for Novakovič (91)

Report

I was absent from Nihondaira today on account of the Shizuoka Marathon being only two weeks away and a pressing need to get one final long run in before the main event. If you're in the Shiz on March 3rd and you see a white bloke running in an S-Pulse shirt, give me a wave. :)

So anyway, what of today's game? Obviously I can't comment too much not having seen it, but what a fantastic result! Not only did we score five, three of them came from where we'll specifically be looking for goals in the months ahead. New signing Novakovič got off to a flyer in S-Pulse orange with a brace, and beanpole Nagasawa, back at Nihondaira having been loaned out for the last three years, bagged a tidy header.

Defenders Hiraoka and Jong-a-Pin both chipped in with strikes of their own to make up a five goal haul you can't argue with, even in pre-season. A show of intent from the boys, and a perfect mood in which start the new season. Two weeks until the opener away at Nagoya's Toyota Stadium. Bring it on!

Videos

Highlights courtesy of YouTube user 香川真司 (Shinji Kagawa). I don't think that's the Manchester United player's account, but you never know... Huge thanks for the upload, whoever you are. :)