Takahara on for Kang (54)
Franca on for Nabeta (64)
Ito on for Takagi (82)
Report
Later, I'm afraid! The gf is glaring at me to get off the computer an out into the sunshine, so in the meantime, read the opinions from the touchline here, at Afshin Ghotbi's own website.
Franca on for Takahara (63)
Kobayashi on for Lee (64)
Ito on for Yoshida (85)
Report
While the home team oozed mediocrity throughout, yet another red card crippled any hopes of overturning a goal deficit. Urawa set out their stall by sitting back from the outset and giving us all the possession we wanted while attempting counter attacks. This kind of anti football appears to be our Achilles' heel, and we created very little, whether with eleven or ten men.
Even after Brosque got himself sent of again, Urawa kept it tight, (deep / passive / boring) and we never looked like equalising. The game was effectively in stalemate for long periods. A tactician's wet dream, a casual punter's trigger to reach for the remote. With the home team having taken their chance, and when countering producing more than us, a defeat (a first away in the league there since 2006) was fair.
We drop to third on goal difference after Hiroshima beat Kobe earlier in the day, and Sendai will be going into their game tonight looking to extend their lead at the top to five points. No need to panic, we've won as many as anyone and everyone else save for Sendai (and Tosu!) have either lost three or four. That said, a win next week against Yokohama F. Marinos is essential to get us out of this mini slump and back on track.
Fingers crossed Sendai blow it against midtable Nagoya!
Evening update. Sendai didn't blow it. They thrashed Nagoya 4-0 and go five popints clear. In the highest scoring game of the day, Kashima smashed Consadole back to J2 (too early to say that? probably not) with a 7-0 walk in the park. Interestingly, all seven goals were scored by different players. Fancy.
First, a digest of the first three months of the season. Already several unforgettable moments on there. Takagi's belter against FC Tokyo at 9 men still give me goosebumps.
Second, a quite brilliant compilation of our Toshiyuki. The lad is pure class and has a touch of gold. Enjoy.
Hiraoka on for Iwashita (32)
Omae (80) on for Sugiyama (68)
Takagi (81) on for Nabeta (75)
Report
I didn't go, nor did I watch it, so all I can really say is job done away from home. That's three out of three in the league cup group stage which is all you can really ask for. To paraphrase Ghotbi, Iwashita was subbed early because he wasn't playing well, had poor
concentration and was losing the ball too often. Not the kind of play you want from your captain.
A very much changed team sported starts for Kobayashi, Sugiyama (long time no see!), Nabeta and Shirasaki, but it was Takagi with his 6th of the season which sealed all three points. Kobayashi kept up his good league cup form having scored our winner against Niigata last month. Three points puts us second in Group B, joint with defending champions Kashima on 9 points, but with a game in hand.
The defeat leaves Kobe with three defeats from three and their cup hopes hanging by a thread.
OK, so another year has passed since the last update, so let's add in last year's trophy distribution. We forgot to update in the off season, so here we go for 2011! As always, the system is as follows:
League title- 3 Points League runners up - 1 Point Cup win - 2 Points Cup runners up - .5 Points
Continental
cups are counted, but show-piece super cups aren't. So without further
ado, here's the rankings of the top performing clubs since the
professionalisation of the game in 1992: 1) Kashima Antlers 39.5 2) Jubilo Iwata 23 3) Yokohama F. Marinos 18 4) Tokyo Verdy 18 5) Urawa Red Diamonds 15 6) Gamba Osaka 13 7) S-Pulse 10.5 8) Nagoya Grampus 9 9) Kashiwa Reysol 6 - ) FC Tokyo 6 10) Kawasaki Frontale 4.5 - ) JEF United 4.5
Kashima, even in a mediocre season for them, extend their lead by winning the league cup. Tokyo jump up into 9th along with Reysol who surprised everyone with their league title win.
Takahara on for Takagi (55)
Kobayashi on for Omae (63)
Franca on for Yoshida (78)
Report - It ain't over till it's over
"Jammy bastards!" Came the email from my Jubilo supporting brother (who only chose Iwata to wind me up). He was following the game online back in England, just ready to rub it in when we lost. But sorry for him, there were absolutely BALMY scenes behind the goal as Brosque poked in the easiest goal of his career on 95:50. It dramatically levelled the score on a day which looked like we were never going to hit the target.
We equalised with the very last kick of the game. Five minutes had gone up as stoppage time, but the game didn't restart until over a minute into that because their keeper had required extended treatment. He also limped off as we tried to take a corner, and Kempes strolled off at a leisurely pace when substituted on 93m, both of which required additional time on the additional time.
It was one of those games. A bad day at the office with more misjudged passes than I care to remember, an opening goal gifted to the opposition, and a general air of frustration which crept in more and more as the game went on. Omae and Takagi were struggling to make an impact and were both replaced early in the second half. With the experienced Takahara and Kobayashi on things slowly turned around, and the last 15 minutes we finally started to get the bit between our teeth.
Time was running out though, and things became more and more frantic. We created one or two genuine chances, but couldn't hit the target, and the growing sense of futility around the stands was palpable. But! The very last cross was swung in, Brosque didn't connect well and the keeper was all set to pounce. Muramatsu had the same idea but before he could reach the ball, he was taken out from behind by Kim Song-Gi. Both collided with the keeper, the ball spilt and Alex was on hand to nudge it home. Cue an explosion of relief on the terraces, and the final whistle.
Not a great performance, but a point won in the most unlikely of circumstances, and that, dare I say it, is the mark of a team which is going places. Far from being just jammy bastards as my big bro insisted, it was pure determination and unwillingness to give up which made sure we didn't end this game empty handed. It maintains our unbeaten home record, and keeps us just two points off top spot.
Next up is Kobe away midweek in the cup, so expect to see the kids given a run out as we try to carry on our winning run in the group stage. Then on Saturday it's away in Saitama to an Urawa team who also played out a 1-1 draw today.
Never a dull moment as an S-Pulse fan, and today was another ending to a game never to forget. Night night!
Pictures
Hiraoka (3) in for the suspended Jong a Pin
Shimizu Oz-Pulse
Goal hero Alex Brosque
One for the Gamba fans
Videos
Alex's late, late equaliser. The noise when Brosque poked it in is something incredible. Also got to love the players' literal jumping for joy - especially Sho. :)
In great slow motion, an effort off the line, and then our goal.
Both goals and an interview with Brosque. A rare mistake from Hayashi saw Cerezo take the lead.
Barry writes 
