Kyoto Sanga 2-4 S-Pulse Yanagisawa 31 ---------------------- Fujimoto 54 (pk) Dutra 34 ---------------------------------Johnsen 59 Nakayama sent off 69---------------Fujimoto 78 (pk) ----------------------------------------------Bosnar 83 --------------------------------------------- Ota sent off 79
Att. 14016
Line Up
GK Takeda
DF Takaki DF Hiraoka DF Bosnar(yellow 84) DF Ota (yellow 27, red 79)
MF Honda MF Ono (yellow 1) MF M. Yamamoto
FW Okazaki FW Johnsen FW Fujimoto
Subs Used
Tsujio on for Takaki (HT) Hyodo on for M. Yamamoto (HT) Kodama on for Ono (80)
Report
That was one hell of a game of football. Me and Yujiro arrived at Shimizu Dream House for the public viewing in plenty of time - or so we thought. Well over an hour before kick off it was standing room only as the place was swamped with fans hoping to see us extend our unbeaten run to ten games. In the event, that's just what they got to see, but, man, what a ride it was!
Standing room only
After a wretched first half we were two nil down and deserved nothing less. Kenta was still without Nishibe in goal, so rookie Takeda started, and the boss had also chosen to rest regular starters Hyodo and Tsujio. We visibly missed Hyodo in particular, and the first 45 minutes were painful to watch at times. Mistake after mistake after mistake, and when we did get within shooting range we blasted it over time and again. The worst offender was Ono when, after a head down by Johnsen, the midfield wizard was all alone with time and just the keeper to beat. He hit it first time into row Z.
Kyoto were clinical with the two best chances they had, although they should have made it three just before the break. The referee was card and whistle happy all game. The free kick which led to Kyoto's second looked like a fair challenge to me, but I'm not a referee and I wasn't there, so I'll give the man in black the benefit of the doubt. The kick was floated into the box and a purple-propelled header was sent home totally unhindered by anything as troublesome as defenders.
The atmosphere was one of utter dejection, and it felt like our unbeaten start to the season was as good as gone when the first half whistle went. While it wasn't quite as simple as Hyodo and Tsujio's absence causing all the problems, we were a transformed team in the second half when both were back on the pitch.
We were allowed back in the game via a Jungo penalty converted after Okazaki was clumsily bundled over. In the twenty minutes that followed, Mizutani, the Kyoto shot-stopper, pulled off two stunning saves in five minutes to deny Okazaki, but wasn't able to beat Johnsen to a pin point Ono cross which levelled the score. The equalising goal fired us up to the point that to my eyes we looked line a team of lions with had tasted blood and was tearing up and down the pitch eager for more. We were absolutely ravenous, with lightening play between the likes of Ono, Jungo and Johnsen carving routes through the home team and culminating in shots which on another day would have gone in.
The sending off of Nakayama only added fuel to the fire, and the inevitable happened when Okazaki was bundled down in the area for another Fujimoto penalty. It was a soft penalty for sure, but this ref was giving everything. He sent off Ota for a second yellow after a mid-air collision with no malice whatsoever, and he booked Bosnar for, I can only presume, his celebrations after he sent a 35 metre free kick into the back of the net. Bosnar's second goal of the season surprised everyone - the Sky Perfect TV cameraman included - and had the hundreds packed into Dream House dancing in the aisles.
The travelling hordes caught on the big screen
It was a performance of two halves, the first one shocking, the second, at times, awesome. We extended our lead at the top to four points after both Kashima and Nagoya lost, and Kawasaki dropped points in Osaka. There's absolutely no time to let up though, and we should be looking to beat Niigata on Saturday. After the cards for Ota, Bosnar and Ono, we'll be without all three, which will mean some rearranging will be necessary.
Videos
Full highlights (only half of Bosnar's wonder strike, though):
Fujimoto on for K. Yamamoto (63) Arata on for Ota (82) Paulo on for Okazaki (86)
Report
Having eschewed the Shimizu branch of the S-Pulse Dream House chain, me and a mate made our way up to the wonderfully named Cafe Snuggery to watch this evening's face off with Kyoto. The owner is a huge football and S-Pulse fan, so if he's not at the game himself, he broadcasts away games on his plasma screen. The food and drink is top notch, so even when there's no game to watch, I can't recommend lunch or dinner there highly enough.
Anyway, about the game. After the Kyoto comeback from 3-1 down last month, which had culminated in the smash and grab at the death, I ready to accept vengeance by any means. That stoppage time goal by Lee put a dampener on an entire evening's drinking, felt like a loss, and will go down as two points lost (not unlike Aurelio's 88th minute penalty miss against Omiya last season).
Well tonight, Kyoto fans will probably be feeling much like we were after Lee's equaliser. Substitute Fujimoto's excellent freekick came off the back of a dubious decision in our favour, as the gangling Johnsen went to ground in perfect Jungo territory. After we took the lead, we were hanging on for grim life as Kyoto brought more than one excellent save out of Kaito. Again, he was the difference between three points and none.
Around the 88th minute, both Jungo and Honda conspired to miss an incredible chance to put the game beyond doubt, and so it was went into stoppage time throwing everything we behind the ball to keep hold of all three points. We'd let a handful of other great opportunities slip by over the course of the 90 minutes, not least a one on one which I would have put money on Okazaki putting away. So Kyoto, with memories of the 3-3, were not going to put off by a mere one goal deficit. They twice nearly had it in the net right at the end, and when the ref finally blew the whistle, a win somehow felt like a draw.
It's our fourth away win in a row, and while it was far from pretty at the end, we had spells of fluid, attacking football, and on another day Okachan would have put that one away. Maybe these three points make up for some of the wins we've let slip this year. It puts us up to 5th, joint on points with Alibrex and Gamba, and with Antlers and Frontale both losing, we close the gap a little on the top two.
Videos etc
Here are the official pictures from tonight (top row). Full highlights:
This is a personal cam of the final moments and post match celebrations:
Paulo on for Hara (67) Ito on for Hyodo (82) Hiroi on for Ichikawa (88)
Videos
The last minute from behind the goal. Includes the unfathomable free kick which was moved twenty yards up the pitch by the keeper, and led directly to the equaliser.
S-Pulse cruised to victory in the Nabisco Cup group stage without ever really stepping out of second gear. A gorgeous Sunday afternoon was the setting for one of our bigger Nabisco crowds (11281), and given how few came up from Kyoto, one of the best home fan turn outs for this competition.
The cherry blossoms starting to bloom outside Nihondaira
As expected, Okazaki was rested, at least in part, after his substitute appearance in Japan's 1-0 victory over Bahrain yesterday. Jungo started his first first-team game since his injury last year, Ichikawa was given a day off and was replaced by Junpei. The full squad was as follows:
GK Nishibe
DF Takaki DF Aoyama DF Iwashita DF Kodama
MF Hyodo MF Edamura MF Yamamoto MF Fujimoto
FW Hara FW Johnsen
Subs Used:
Okazaki on for Hara (67) Ito on for Fujimoto (67) Hiroi on for Aoyama (79)
It was a good game. I think.
It was a good, solid performance all told. Positive going forward, and at times sweeping through the Kyoto midfield and defence with real verve. Saying that, we had trouble getting past Kyoto's giant number three, Sidiclei, which was where many of our attacks came to shuddering halt.
We made 15 shots, and forced 9 corners. Kyoto's 16 goal kicks also bares testament to our positivity going forward, although we, and I get tired typing this every week, really should have made more of many of our opportunities. A good number of Kyoto's chances came off the back of errors whereby we gave possession away far too cheaply, something stronger teams would have punished us for.
Still, it'd be a little churlish to focus on the negatives in what was a strong offensive display with the result never really in doubt. Junpei scored an absolute peach just before half time to stake a claim for a return to regular first team football, and Edamura put the finishing touch on another sweeping attacking move down the right wing midway through the second half.
Johnsen is aching to bag his first goal, and he very nearly got it today. It took a split second reaction save from Mizutani in the Kyoto goal to deny him. Frode also appeared a lot more involved generally, dropping much deeper to help win the midfield battle instead of merely being left up front waiting for long balls hoofed forward, as per the Marinos game.
Players celebrate after Junpei puts us 1-0 up
Special mention to Iwashita, who was solid as a rock in defence and always dangerous at corners. A very good performance from our man at the back, and he matched that of Kyoto's Sidiclei in stopping attacking moves. He's coming on in leaps and bounds, and the departed Takagi's absence is all the more unnoticeable for it.
Our 2009 Nabisco campaign is off to a good start, and if we can get three points against the not-to-be-underestimated Yamagata in May, we'll have done the lion's share of the work in getting through to the knock out stage. See the bar on the right for current standings in our group, or click here for a little more depth.
In summary then, beautiful weather, a good result, daytime fireworks, two Loco Locos, and I met one of the fanzine's youngest readers! Why can't all Sundays be this nice?
Boom!
Click here for some official pictures of the game, and directly below are extended highlights. This is a personal cam and not TV coverage.
Match day two of the 2009 Nabisco Cup is upon us! Being match day two, you may be wondering what happened to our match day one. Well that was on Wednesday, and due to the weird and wonderful way the competition is organised this year, we didn't have a game.
For those not in the know, this year's League Cup group stage is split into two groups of seven. We're in Group B along with Kashiwa, FC Tokyo, Chiba, Yamagata, Kyoto and Kobe. Teams play each other once with three games at home, and three games away. Who's at home for which game was all down to the fixture computer. Have a look here for our full group stage fixtures.
Having three match ups each time means once team gets a day off. We got lucky not having to play on a chilly Wednesday evening, instead getting a clear blue sky and warm 12 degree afternoon for our début game in this year's competition.
Painting the National Stadium Orange Last Year
As is common with the league cup, tickets are still in plentiful supply, with only around 12000 sold so far. Saying that, 12000 would still be one of our better league cup crowds, so bring it on!
As for team news, Okazaki is in Saitama with the national team (as I type, he's probably warming up) for the visit of Bahrain in the World Cup qualifier. Because of that, expect to see Hara starting up front. I'm wondering if Kenta will give Johnsen a rest tomorrow, perhaps giving Genki his first start. We may also see a start for Jungo. He's been on from the start in the reserves, but hasn't racked up a full 90 minutes yet, but that'll come in time.
Aside from that, let's just hope we can secure our first home goal, and three points, of the season! We're yet to win this year, but I think we were unlucky against a strong Nagoya team last week. We played some nice stuff, and I think we've got a whole lot of goals inside us just aching to get out. Expect some tomorrow!
We turned over Tokyo 3-1 in the same fixture last year on our road to the Kokuritsu, and while the run was glorious, the less said about the final, the better. All the more reason to win it this year!
Champions: Kashima Antlers ACL Qualification: Kashima Antlers, Nagoya Grampus, Kawasaki Frontale Relegated: Condadore Sapporo, Tokyo Verdy Promotion Relegation series: Jubilo Iwata (J1) v Vegalta Sendai (J2)
What a great way to end the season. :)
Highlights:
I wasn't at the game, or watching on TV, as I was deep behind enemy lines at the Yamaha Stadium watching Jubilo crash to defeat at the hands of Omiya. The defeat puts them into the promotion / relegation series with Sendai. The second, and home, leg for Jubilo is next Saturday, so I'll probably wander over to Iwata again, yellow t-shirt in hand. ;-) While we'd all like to see Jubilo drop, I'd seriously miss the derby next season should Jubilo go down, so it's win win for many S-Pulse fans. The fact they even have to play in this series is a humongous embarrassment to all connected with the club, so even if they stay up, you could argue they will have suffered enough! The last three pro / rele ties have all gone the way of the J2 side, so Jubilo are up against it!
The story of the day today was in Chiba, where the miracle escape was made even more miraculous by the fact they were 2-0 down before they came back to win 4-2. Losses for both Jubilo and Verdy meant they leapfrogged both teams to preserve their J1 status. Well done Chiba and especially Alex Miller who truly did perform a miracle!
Well, we went out on a high, and we have every right to look forward to our Emperor's Cup 1/4 final with optimism. Opponents FC Tokyo were the team on the receiving end of Chiba's four goals today, and as a result were displaced into 6th place by us who finished this season a respectable 5th. Had Aurelio put away the last minute penalty back against Omiya earlier in the season we would have equalled 2006 and 2007's finish of 4th. No matter - it's been a roller-coaster season and we ended it on a high. 5th place also brings with it a cool 40 000 000 yen. Nice! Now just bring on the cup on the 20th!
The month-long J. League break was brought to an end on Saturday, and not before time. Fortunately, for some of us at least, we had shenanigan-filled holidays in Ireland to help pass the barren, football-less weeks. Still, with the footer back on Saturday, so it was that I dragged my jet-lag riddled body out of my futon and off to Nihondaira. After a week in the British Isles' breezy sunshine, Shizuoka's humidity takes some getting used to, and as we head into summer's muggy, sweaty heat, it's great to know that the next five or six home games are all evening starts.
When attacking midfield lynchpin Fernandinho signed on loan for Kyoto last month, it was with a classic twist of footballing fate that they should be the very next opponents down the 'Daira. Predictably (and rightly) he was warmly greeted with a crescendo of boos each time he got hold of the ball. No doubt it just made it sweeter for him when he knocked the ball home to make it 1-0 to Kyoto three minutes after half time. Kyoto are playing him as an out-and-out striker it would seem, and to be honest I think they'll be missing out on a lot of what he can do in the centre of the park, but then what I know? And what do I care? His loan is up at the end of the season, and while I'd like to think he'll come back, knowing how many of these long-term loans go in the J. League, I can't see it. Not unless Kyoto get relegated that is...
It didn't take long for us to draw level, and it was Edamura who did the honours with a precisely placed shot which went in off the post. We'd given Aurerio his first start for a while, but he didn't ever really trouble the keeper, and when he was taken off on 78 for Hara it was no surprise. What was a surprise was the impact Hara had on the game. As soon as he was on the pitch he was harassing the Kyoto back line and it was his battling which earned us a free kick on 84. Jungo swung a perfect ball into the box where the Kyoto defence was only able to help direct Hara's half-volley into their own net.
S-Pulse's 800th pro goal - scored by a Kyoto defender!
After that there was a couple of hairy moments where Kyoto went close, in particular when they had a one-on-one, but they failed to hit the target. Their travelling fans will no doubt feel hard done by given their superior number of shots, but that's been the story of a lot their season so far. If Fernandinho can turn things around remains to be seen. He was taken off with 25 minutes to go, so sadly got to miss out on our winner. :) So far as we went, we weren't wholly convincing, but three points in three points. Marcos Paulo looked slow, clumsy and not entirely interested. He was taken off at half time for Hyodo. So yeah, anyway, we're up to twelfth but not far off the ACL positions points-wise. Next up is Antlers in the cup which I'm not relishing given their 4-0 away demolition of Nagoya on Saturday! Still, let's have it - get a draw there then it's all back to 'Daira next month - bring it!
Something entirely unrelated to today's game: So today was the first league game this season I wasn't able to watch, and all I can say is thank God for real life getting in the way. While we got sent packing from Niigata with our tales firmly between our legs, I was far from any TV screen, drinking in the history, admiring the architecture and chatting up the maiko girls of Japan's most ancient city.
So fair play, I wasn't at match, but with the 36000 fans who were there, including the as-always sizable Orange Army, it seems the only people who didn't bother turning up was the S-Pulse team. I didn't see the game, and I know scorelines don't always tell the whole story, but it comes as no surprise in checking the stats to learn we matched them on shots, destroyed them on the corner kicks, yet still came away pointless. The lack of penetration up front is crippling us, and we're looking at a season of horrendous mid-table mediocrity the rate things are going.
Amid the very few positives after today are the facts that we're amazingly still only two wins off the top five, Jubilo got turned over 4-1 at home, and... and... No, that's it. It's double winners Antlers at home on Sunday, and fingers crossed we can capitalise on their champions league exhaustion to start clawing our way back up the table. Here's to that, but in the meantime, here's to remembering that having important stuff to do with people important to you is a shite sight more rewarding than watching 11 men chase a pigs bladder around. Amen to that.
While on my short trip, despite attempting to keep football as far from my mind as possible, it had a funny way of finding me:
Two S-Pulse fans spotted in the grounds of Kyoto's Kinkakuji. They also wisely opted to avoid the trek to Niigata:
If there are any nutters out there who want to see where it all went wrong, here's the "highlights":
Barry writes:
Kick off
Another kick off on Sunday
I was free, so I went here
