Seems that a couple of technicalities regarding the transfer of Okazaki to Stuttgart have come to light. Read here for a full run down, where S-Pulse have helpfully included an English version of their press release.
Long story short, Okachan's contract with the German club is invalid, and he is unable to play in the Bundesliga. That said, if Stuttgart could see their way to offering something in the way of compensation the situation will no doubt be brought to a swift resolution.
Fair play to us for standing up for what may rightfully be ours, I say.
19 year old Toshiyuki Takagi has signed from Tokyo Verdy. The teenage midfielder has represented Japan at Under 18 and Under 19 level and bagged 6 goals in 25 games for Verdy this season.
Welcome aboard the mighty Orange machine!
Okazaki
Okazaki, who is rumoured to be off to Germany, has broken his nose in training. However, he'll be fit for the cup 1/4 final with Yamagata next week.
Yokohama F. Marinos 0-3 S-Pulse ------------------------------------------------------------------------Fujimoto 48 ------------------------------------------------------------------------Okazaki 72, 81
Att. 6054
Line Up
GK Nishibe
DF Tsujio DF Hiraoka DF Iwashita DF Ota
MF Hyodo MF Honda MF Ono
FW Okazaki FW Nagai FW Fujimoto
Subs Used
Omae on for Fujimoto (75) Ito T. on for Ono (82) Ito S. on for Okazaki (89)
Report
S-Pulse produced a virtuoso display (possibly) to beat Marinos 3-0 away from home and progress to the quarter finals of the Emperor's Cup. The quarter final will be played on Christmas Day, meaning I risk a mammoth bust up with the other half if I attempt to make it. Bollocks. Well, we'll worry about that later. I'm off out to celebrate and make up for having not been there.
Next we meet Montedio Yamagata who we have beaten in out last four meetings with an aggregate score of 10-1. Ho ho ho. Let's not get cocky, but the draw has been kind. The game is rumoured to be at Sendai's Yurtec Stadium, but as soon as anything in confirmed I'll post it here.
Kampai!
Videos
Okazaki's second, which made it 3-0. Excellent travelling support for a wet Wednesday away from home.
As an Englishman, I love watching Argentina lose. So thank you Japan, and thank you especially to our Okachan, whose timing and deadly finishing meant Japan sent Messi and co back home with their tail firmly between their legs. :)
According to a poster on a Plymouth Argyle fans forum, the proposed bid for Okazaki is rubbish. From the mouth of the Pilgrims' manager himself, it's not going to happen.
Kinda nice that Okachan's name is being bandied about abroad, though. When a serious bid from a team worth considering comes in I'll be the first to wish him all the best, but first things first: the 2010 J. League championship. :)
Over in Yokohama, S-Pulse's satellite team played Marinos' equivalent today. Two games were played, the first ending 1-0 to the home team, the second 5-1 to us.
The satellite line up differs from regular J. League in that it's a mixture of first teamers and reserves with unlimited substitutions available. Over the first 90 minutes 14 different players took to the field, and in the second game we tried out 18 different players.
Our goals came from:
Fujimoto Okazaki (2) Johnsen Ito Nagai
Great to see both new singing Ito getting on the score sheet, and Okazaki showing he's raring to go after his World Cup adventure. Click here for full line ups (in Japanese). Speaking of Okachan:
Yes, that's Plymouth Argyle, currently in the third tier of English football alongside the likes of Exeter City and Walsall. And, yes, that's Okazaki, the Japanese international who just held his own in the World Cup against the best Dutch, Danish and Paraguayan defenders, and who was the highest scorer in international football in 2009.
It remains to be seen if Okachan, who has stated in the past his hope to move abroad one day, will be enticed by the prospect of playing in front of 5000 people away at Carlisle, or, even better, 2500 at Dagenham and Redbridge.
Seriously, Shinji - you're playing at a higher level than England's third division already. Much like Jubilo's Robert Cullen snubbed Plymouth last year, don't even think about it. I've nothing personal against the Pilgrims, (I'd say the same thing if my beloved Albion made a bid), but for an international striker hitting the peak of his career, a move to England has to be at least to Championship level.
M. Yamamoto on for Ono (72) Omae on for Fujimoto (78) Teruyoshi on for Okazaki (90)
Report
Having nervously checked the weather forecast everyday leading up to Saturday I couldn't help worry we might be in for a wet opening home weekend. As it was Shizuoka was actually bathed in a gloriously warm sunshine as we filed through the turnstiles.
Getting there early is what it's all about
The performance was a solid one against a determined opponent. We had a good first half and took the lead though a Johnsen shot deflected wickedly off Jungo. It wrong footed the keeper and hit the back of the right in front of us. 1-0.
We should have made more of our superior first half possession, but it was still one zero at half time. The second half Yamagata were a much improved team, and it was a nervous 44 minutes before we put the game beyond doubt.
The match ball was dropped in by helicopter for some reason I missed
Our second came from Okazaki's pinpoint head. After a free kick was played out wide to Ichikawa, the cross was swung over to Shinji who was waiting at the far post. He managed to nod it back across goal right in front of the keeper. It ending up in the far corner. Unfortunately, Okazaki went off injured within moments after getting a knock in the mouth.
That wasn't where the story ended, as Shinji's replacement Ito Teruyoshi managed to grab his first goal for three years with the last action of the game. 3-0 may flatter us a little, but a win was fair.
Making friends
Videos All from YouTube user ssnnddttyy's personal cam, here are the goals. Our first:
Players singing in drag, embarrassing President Obama impressions and photos with players. Another year another Supporter's Thanks Day. Yesterday myself and fellow UK Ultras Yujiro and Susie trooped off to Shizuoka's vast Twin Messe event complex for the annual festival of all things S-Pulse.
Aside from the various attractions and things to do we also got to meet our line up for 2010, hear the result of last year's player of the year vote, and generally pass a thoroughly pleasant closed season Saturday afternoon. This year around 6300 fans turned out, 500 more than last year, making it by far our most successful Thanks Day event.
As for the player of the year, the result was as follows:
3) Johnsen
2) Iwashita
1) Okazaki
No surprises there, then. Iwashita was immense in 2009 and visibly grew as a player over the season. Okazaki was always going to be the winner though, and I'm sure the vote wasn't even slightly close!
As for the rest of the day, I'll let some pictures do the talking.
Thousands turned out Mr Hayagawa and half the team The other half This year's shirt Gorgeous! Ono Nishibe, Edamura and some English fella
Only six weeks till the new season, and we now know we have a friendly to help pass the time, so I'll see you all down Nihondaira on Feb 28th, then?
More good news to top off an excellent year for Shinji Okazaki; he was this evening named as one of the two best strikers in the country at the annual J. League awards.
Okachan shortly after banging in a hat-trick for Japan
The recognition comes at the end of his first full season as a starting member, and after netting 14 league goals. Including four league cup goals, he's at 18, with the remainder of the Emperor's Cup still to play. He's worked his way into the national team this year and is all set to head to South Africa next summer.
In the J. League best eleven for 2009, Okazaki is partnered up front by Jubilo forward, and league top scorer with 20 goals, Maeda. It's fitting to see Shizuoka leading the charge for the best 11 this year, but it's high time the orange machine claimed another title or two to ensure people don't forget where the heart of football lies in Japan!
For full details on the 2009 J. League awards, click here (in Japanese). For the official S-Pulse report, click here. In Japanese, but with plenty of pictures.
We also reprised last year's achievement of winning the award for the best pitch in the league. The people in charge always keep Nihondaira's surface in near perfect condition, so it's great to see their efforts rewarded for a second season running. The award this year was actually split three ways, with Urawa and Omiya's Saitama Stadium and Albirex Niigata's Big Swan also being rewarded.
Saturday's crucial match with Gamba Osaka has officially sold out. The announcement came early this morning, making it one of the fastest selling games in recent memory. It is also our second home league game in a row to sell out, underlining our excellent season at the turnstiles. With just one further home game remaining we are looking set to record an average gate well up on last season, and our highest since 1995 when the J. League boom was at it's peak.
Our final league match of the season with Nagoya on December 5th is also selling fast. As of two days ago, only 3000 tickets remain, with S, SS, and A Zone all sold out. If you're thinking of going, act now!
Okazaki Nets for Japan
In other news, Okazaki was among the scorers last night as Japan beat Hong Kong 4-0 in a qualifier for the 2011 Asian Cup. Okazaki is currently four goals off the pace in the hunt for the J. League Golden Boot, but continues to bang them in for the national team. He should have done enough this year to secure his place in South Africa next year where I'm sure he'll shine.
In the final match of 2009's Kirin Challenge Cup series, Japan walked all over Togo in one of the most one-sided international games I've seen for a long time. The final score of five to nothing could easily have been seven or eight. From an S-Pulse fan's point of view, the news of the night came as Okazaki scored a second hattrick in two games. After being rested for the 2-0 defeat of Scotland on Saturday, Okachan roared back into the national team and took his international tally up to fourteen.
All three goals had his own unique Okachan mark stamped all over them, with the second especially a finish of pure class:
Full Highlights
With Shinji in such pulsating form, I'm hoping he can get another couple next Sunday away at Oita to keep our title push on track.
In a qualifier for 2011's Asian Cup, S-Pulse legend Shinji Okazaki scored a hat-trick as the national team brushed aside Hong Kong 6-0. Tonight's haul brings Shinji's international goals up to eleven in seventeen games, and nicely marks the anniversary of his first international cap one year ago against the UAE.
Legend
The game was held at Nihondaira, Okachan's home turf, and a sold out crowd roared the Samurai Blues on to an easy victory. For full details of Japan's 2011 Asian Cup qualifying campaign, and the other goal scorers from tonight, click here.
Japan have two more games coming up, with Saturday's Kirin Cup game against Scotland sure to pose a harder test than Hong Kong. Best of luck, Shinji, and remember to keep those scoring boots on for the final six games of the season!
S-Pulse 1-1 Hiroshima Okazaki 44---------------- Sato 29
Att: 18205
Line Up
GK K. Yamamoto
DF Ichikawa DF Iwashita DF Arata DF Ota
MF Edamura MF Honda MF Ito MF Hyodo
FW Johnsen FW Okazaki
Subs used
Fujimoto on for Edamura (57) M. Yamamoto on for Honda (78) Hara on for Hyodo (82)
Report
We are top of the league, said we are top of the league!
Yeah, well, it's only for a day, but it's been a while. Kashima will reclaim top spot tomorrow if they avoid defeat at home to Niigata, but for now, there's only one team in first place in J1, and that's us. :)
I had no idea what was going on here
Shizuoka had been wet pretty much all week, but praise the football Gods, at 11am this morning the clouds parted and a gorgeous sunny day was the reward for the 18000+ fans who rocked Nihondaira. They had a fast paced (for the most part) game to enjoy with plenty of shots peppering each goal, but the majority, myself included, went home kicking themselves. If we'd made more of our chances we're not only be top, we're be two points clear.
The rain cleared and turned into a beautiful day
Oh, well. I'm not complaining too much. Hiroshima are good, and a hard team to play against. When they have hold of the ball they are not about to give it up easily. If it meant passing it back and forward across their back four till our players (and fans) started falling asleep, then that's what it meant. The moment we grew sick of this private kickabout and committed ourselves, the ball was hoofed 70 metres up the field to their number 14 or 10 who would instigate an attack. To be fair, this style worked, and we had trouble gaining control of the game for most of the first half.
A great away following given the distance, and a rather lovely flag
This was the major theme of the day's play, and it produced a goal for the visitors after half an hour. After the long ball upfield, a good, low cross was played deep into the six yard box and was met by Sato who put it away. Kaito was unlucky not to get down in time to block the shot and it squirmed under him into the back of the net. There was a hint of offside, but that was according to Iwashita, and it's not down to him, sadly. 1-0 to the away team, but it's been nearly a decade and half since Hiroshima beat us at Nihondaira, so they must have known the game was far from over.
A Sanfrecce free kick which came to nothing
Our equaliser came from hero, legend, and all round God-like striker Shinji Okazaki, who placed a header over the keeper and into the far corner with the type of skilled precision many players struggle to manage with their feet. Excellent finish. The second half was mostly ours, but we just couldn't breach their final line of defence. Johnsen went close when he beat the keeper to a cross, but a defender was on hand to clear it off the line.
We swarmed forward incessantly as the clock started running down, but it came to naught. The last chance came when Masaki received a ball in the box with, what appeared to me to be some time to control it before a shot, but he skied it with his first touch. Dang. :(
Next (after cup weekend) is Oita away in a fortnight. If we beat them they go down to J2 with five games remaining. Ouch. A kind of revenge for last year's Nabisco Cup, I guess, but we need to win it to maintain out title challenge and for no other reason. We're top, we're unbeaten in 13 and we have three players off with the national team this week. Things are pretty bloody bright for S-Pulse right now, but now let's get on with the final push to glory - three points in Kyushu, please!
The twenty-eight man squad for the Japan national team's three upcoming games was announced today. Japan are set to face Hong Kong (Oct 8th @ Nihondaira) in a qualifier for the 2011 Asian Cup, and Scotland (Oct 10th @ Nissan Stadium), and Togo (Oct 14th @ Miyagi), in 2009's Kirin Cup.
In addition to Okazaki, Kaito Yamamoto and Keisuke Iwashita have been reward for excellent seasons with their first full national team call ups. As a result, all three will be unavailable for our Emperor's Cup 2nd round game with Sagawa Printing on October 11th.
Their inclusion comes as no surprise to any S-Pulse fan who has watched them both grow in stature and experience as the season has gone on. Both have been instrumental in our 12 game unbeaten run, and have been frequently praised on these pages, so we're made up to see them join their team-mate Okachan in the dark blue of Japan. Good luck, fellas! The squad in full:
S-Pulse 3-0 Urawa Own goal (0) Okazaki (45) Aoyama (62)
S-Pulse win 4-2 on agg.
Att. 12014
A two one defeat in the first leg, we needed to make sure we didn't conceed at home to have any real hope of getting through. Well, how about 3-0? Yep, that'd do the job nicely. :)
"Kingdom Shimizu"
Urawa came looking for goals, but their confidence was shattered in the very first minute when Abe, under no pressure at all, managed to slice a Johnsen ball straight into his own net. The S-Pulse masses went mad, the Urawa travelling hordes were stunned into silence, and you just kinda knew it was going to be our night.
Yes! And you're out the cup!
The Reds had the better of the chances for the rest of the first half, but Kaito was rarely called upon to make any real stops. Urawa were without Tulio, and they missed him. Edmilson was a danger up front, but he was unable to create anything of any real substance and soon was whining and moaning to the ref about every little decision.The away fans had bafflingly booed Okazaki tonight, presumably for no other reason than they knew he was a huge threat. He proved their point perfectly, when in 1st half stoppage time he rose to slam home an excellent cross from the left. He doesn't make mistakes with these and when the ball nearly burst the net, the boos were silenced and the other three sides of the stadium were sent into raptures.
Another semi final here we come!
At two nil, even just one goal from Urawa would have sent the game into extra time. However, a free kick just past the hour was headed back by Iwashita and met by Aoyama, who claimed his second goal in two games, and that was that. The wind was taken out of the away team's sails, and while they kept huffing and puffing, the number of mistakes they made went through the roof. We almost made it four through Hara a couple times, and the visitors did manage to draw an excellent save from Kaito around 85 minutes, but 3-0 is how it stayed. 4-2 on aggregate, and we make our second league cup semi final running.
The semi final 1st leg line up reads as:
Kawasaki Frontale v Yokohama F. Marinos
S-Pulse v FC Tokyo
First leg: Sept 2nd (Wed) Second leg: Sept 6th (Sun)
Great work lads - an excellent night under the lights, and we're now only two legs away from a chance to banish last year's Kokuritsu nightmare forever!!
Line Up
GK K. Yamamoto
DF Ichikawa DF Aoyama DF Iwashita DF Arata
MF Ito MF Edamura MF Honda MF Hyodo
FW Okazaki FW Johnsen
Subs used
Hara on for Okazaki (66) M. Yamamoto on for Edamura (71)
Videos etc
A few vids today. First, a round up of all the quarter finals. S-Pulse come first.
A personal cam of Okazaki's stunning header which put us 2-0 up.
The same cam captures Aoyama's goal which made it three nothing.
A video taken by your own UK Ultras reporter directly following Okazaki's goal.
The last minute of play and celebrations.
Click here for full information on this year's Nabisco Cup.
I didn't go up to Chiba for this one, although our travelling army was out in force as ever. I also didn't see it, on account of being in Kansai for the weekend. I got back late last night, hence the late update to the site.
While I was over enjoying Universal Studios, the boys were doing the business grabbing another vital three away points. Okazaki and Johnsen demonstrated their increasingly deadly partnership to open the scoring. JEF levelled in the second half with a cracking goal from Fukai before Aoyama connected with a long free kick to grab a rare goal, and what turned out to be the winner.
With many teams above us dropping points, we could make up some ground on the top five. Next up is Urawa in the league cup before facing them again next Sunday in the league. They've lost their last two, away to bottom of the table Oita (who have lost 15 from their last 16) and they got spanked at home 3-0 by Nagoya on Saturday, so it's as good a time as ever to play them.
Click here for the full up to date league table. Our match with Albirex Niigata in a fortnight is going to be a huge yardstick as to how we can expect the second half of the season is going to go. Compared to last year, we're well placed and have it all to look forward to!
Line Up
GK K. Yamamoto
DF Ichikawa DF Iwashita DF Arata DF Ota
MF Fujimoto MF Ito MF Honda MF Edamura
FW Okazaki FW Johnsen
Subs used
Aoyama on for Fujimoto (HT) Hara on for Ota (60) Paulo on for Okazaki (89)
Videos
Full highlights:
And finally, a video of part of the excellent Hollywood Dreams rollercoaster at USJ.
Wow. What an eveing that was! There wasn't a spare seat in the house to witness a roller coaster of a game, and to see S-Pulse extend their unbeaten streak at home beyond the year point.
I can't bloody see!
We should have won this. Iwashita, a player I've got a lot of time for, made two absolutely shocking errors to give the champs a two goal lead. Well at 2-0 down to Kashima it was always going to be an mountain to climb to get back ino the game, but our boys were more than up for it.
Even given the huge knock our confidence took to be 2-0 down when we should still have been level, we rallied and came back fighting. Okazaki connected to a Johnsen cross with a world class header to claw one back right before the break.
Not an empty seat in the house
Ten minutes after the restart, Johnsen also slammed a header home to level and send the packed stands delirious. We went close to a winner on a number of occasions, but it wasn't to be. Kashima equal their own record of 16 games unbeaten, and we fall further off the pace of the ACL spots. Well, given everything, it wasn't a bad evening at all, and for pure entertainment, one of the best games I've seen for a long time.
Iwashita came over after the game for a personal apology, and we all appreciated it, but don't dwell on it, fella. We're all human, and you've more than made up for any mistakes this season already with some excellent performances!
Onwards and upwards - JEF away next week and three points is a must!
Line Up
GK K. Yamamoto
DF Ichikawa DF Iwashita DF Arata DF Ota
MF Ito MF Honda MF Hyodo MF Edamura
FW Okazaki FW Johnsen
Subs used
Fujimoto on for Hyodo (65) Aoyama on for Ota (74) Hara on for Honda (79)
After the bitter disappointment of last week I couldn't help but wonder if, even at three nil, Gamba were going to let us out of Kansai will all three points. I needn't have worried so much. Despite Cho Jae-Jin giving the Asian Champs some hope, we went on to become the first team since Manchester United to put four past Osaka, and at the same time get our league campaign back on track.
Shimizu Dream House rocked to fantastic display from the boys in orange
The scoring was opened at the end of a frantic first 15 minutes with both teams setting their attacking stall out. Okazaki showed his class to grab his eighth of the season by knocking a Johnsen through header over an advancing Matsuyo. He was under intense pressure from Osaka captain Yamaguchi, but held his nerve to make an excellent finish; a classic poacher's goal.
Not too long later, Gamba had the ball in the net, but only after a clear handball. It was just as well, as Kaito was rolling around in the net having prevented a goal direct from an excellent corner kick. Despite Gamba applying long periods of sustained pressure, we managed to get to the end of the first half with the score still 1-0. The difference was Yamamoto back in goal, who is head and shoulders above the shaky Nishibe. He turned 24 today and has a long, bright future ahead of him.
On to the second half, and it was our corner weapon Iwashita who slammed the ball home on the volley to double our lead and send the travelling masses into raptures. Less than ten minutes later Edamura made it three, from another Johnsen assist. With Gamba throwing everything at us, they were left fatally exposed as Edamura made his way out wide left. He made no mistake in smashing it past Matsuyo.
Eight minutes later it was with glorious inevitability that ex-Pulser Cho Jae-Jin should pull one back for the home team. The big man was only brought on in the 58th minute for Lucas, but didn't waste time in getting his eighth of the year. He connected with a pass from Leandro who took time out from flopping around on the floor to create a decent chance.
The nerves many of us were feeling given last week's capitulation only lasted ten minutes. Substitute Hara displayed his deadly finishing having sped behind the hesitant blue and black defender to fire it past Matsuyo. In doing so, he pushed the game beyond any doubt and gave us ten minutes to enjoy our destruction of the reigning Kings of Asia; the first time we've beaten them away in the league since 2001.
We were outshot 18-8, and without Yamamoto's steady hands in goal Gamba would surely have clawed more goals back. However, as time began to run out, the hosts were reduced to increasingly speculative long range efforts which didn't cause us many problems.
It was a fantastically decisive finishing display, and one which can give us confidence going into next week's clash with defending champions Kashima. The Antlers won yet again today and are looking pretty much unstoppable on their march to a third straight title. Come on then, lads - be the first team to knock them off their perch since week two of the season! As for today, I regretted that I wasn't able to make it over to Osaka for this excellent result, but the Dream House put on a great event tonight for a near full house.
It's Urawa in leg one of the cup 1/4 final on Wednesday before Antlers on Saturday. If you've got a moment to catch your breath during all this excitement, don't forget that tickets for the derby (August 22nd) go on general sale next Sunday, July 19th. This game will sell out, so get yours early!
Line Up
GK K. Yamamoto
DF Ichikawa DF Aoyama DF Iwashita DF Arata
MF Paulo MF Ito MF Hyodo MF Edamura
FW Okazaki FW Johnsen
Subs used:
Hara on for Okazaki (74) Fujimoto on for Edamura (84) Honda on for Hyodo (86) Videos etc
Official pictures can be found here (top row). The report from The Rising Sun, along with those for all other J1 games, can be found here.
Full highlights of a virtuoso performance from our boys in orange, with a special mention for our man in green. Awesome display, Kaito!
Here's also a nice clip of our travelling hundreds who, as always, did us proud. For reasons unknown, we had no band for this game.
And as a bonus feature, here's a video of the Gamba Osaka chairman having to face the music of some seriously unhappy fans:
You don't have to understand Japanese to see he's getting a pretty hard time!
Within ten minutes of the start, Yamagata's hardy travelling contingent must have been wondering why they bothered. 2-0 down to two admittedly slightly fortunate goals, they must have realised by then that it wasn't going to be their day.
Not that there were many, but most the empty seats were in the away area
Our first came from Hara who made no mistake in dispatching the ball into the net after a poor defensive error from the Montedio number three, Leonard. The lead was doubled just four minutes later when a half cleared ball fell to the recalled Ichikawa. He slammed it back in to the area. Was it a cross? Was it a shot? Who knows! All history will recall is that it took not one, but two deflections on it's was goalward, and ended up in the back of the net. Not surprisingly, it went down as an own goal.
For the rest of the first half we looked the more threatening team, but didn't really look like extending our lead. The next goal came within a minute of the restart, when Montedio burst down the left wing, floated a perfect ball to the far post, and due to the lack of defensive positioning, was slammed home by the blue and white attacker.
A banner urging us to sing up. "Silence is Prohibited"
At 2-1 with half the game to go, it could have swung either way. Lucky for us, we have a striker in some of the best form in the country. Fresh off the back of firing Japan to next year's World Cup, Okazaki was back in Shimizu and he didn't let us down. Five minutes after the Montedio goal, he took down a long ball from Iwashita on his chest, and it was with a classic Okachan finish that he smashed it home to make it 3-1 and push the game beyond the visitor's reach.
We kept surging forward and looked increasingly dangerous and growing in confidence as the game went on. Ten minutes later, an unstoppable Hara run down the wing and an inch perfect cross into the danger area was met by Johnsen for another priceless goal from the big man. They're rarely pretty, but they all count, and we love him for it!
Moments after the big Norwegian made it 4-1
Even after our fourth we weren't done, and were unlucky on a couple of occasions not to have grabbed a fifth. However, when we replaced Okazaki with Jungo and Johnsen with gangly youngster Nagasawa (why not Genki, Kenta?) our threat up from was gone at a stroke, and we just ran the clock down. But let's not be greedy; it was our third league win on the spin and was a great confidence building exercise in front of excellent home crowd. We're up to fifth and a whisker away from the ACL positions.
The defeat for the visitors, their heaviest since joining J1, leaves them without a win in six and drops them down to 15th. After their early season heroics, the reality of a long hard season seems to have arrived, and unless they can string a couple of results together, they'll be staring down the barrel of a relegation battle.
As for us, top work everyone, now bring on Tokyo next week! Before I sign off, I was wondering if it's even worth mentioning that Jubilo lost again today? Is it necessary to point out that when they played Yamagata at home they lost 6-2 and there were nearly 6000 less people in attendance? Not really, but I may as well. :)
Line Up
GK K. Yamamoto
DF Ichikawa DF Iwashita DF Kodama DF Ota
MF Okazaki MF Edamura MF Ito MF Hyodo
FW Johnsen FW Hara
Subs used:
Fujimoto on for Okazaki (75) Paulo on for Hyodo (78) Nagasawa on for Johnsen (82)
Videos
Full highlights. Check out Okazaki's control on our third:
Loco Loco celebrations! First, the players:
Next, us lot:
Links
Official Pictures here. Read The Rising Sun's report on this, and all the other J1 matches this weekend, here. Includes full league table.
Great result for the Samurai Blues in the opener of this year's Kirin Cup, and an excellent evening in particular for Shimizu's own Okachan.
Okazaki opened the scoring on 18 minutes when the Chili keeper could only parry Honda's long range shot, and on 23 minutes he doubled the lead with a classic Okachan finish.
Barry writes:
