Meiji Yasuda J1 League

Match 12

Shimizu S-Pulse 2-3 Yokohama FC

Saturday August 22th 6pm

IAI Stadium Nihondaira, Shizuoka

S-PULSE GOALS　Kaneko(44), Takeuchi(90+3)

YELLOW CARDS

RED CARDS

ATTENDANCE 4417

LINE UP

GK Umeda

DF Kanai, Valdo, Tatsuta, Seok Ho

MF Renato, Takeuchi, Goto

FW Kaneko, Carlinhos, Nishizawa

SUBSTITUTIONS

Okazaki on for Valdo(33)

Suzuki on for Goto(59)

Dutra on for Nishizawa(59)

Nakamura on for Renato(69)

Teerasil on for Carlinhos(69)

REPORT
Another frustrating day when S-Pulse with just a little more aggressivity in defense and a little more luck in offense could have gone away with a game they should have won on form.

The defense was slow to organize themselves and they were saved by a post in the 18th minute before conceding a soft goal in the 24th minute when they lacked the aggressivity to prevent a long-range shot which was gallingly a fluke as it bounced off Seok Ho’s back.

In the 35th minute Goto wasted a golden chance after having done all the work intercepting a Yokohama’s back pass to their goal keeper. And in the 41st minute the same Goto missed another chance, but a more difficult one, when he headed Nishizawa’s great cross over the bar. In the 43rd minute Yokohama’s defense gifted another chance and Renato’s pass found Kaneko who somehow managed to score between the goalkeeper’s legs.

But two minutes later all the good work was undone with another soft goal, 4 defenders watching a sole Yokohama’s attacker heading a cross sent without any opposition. Two minutes had not elapsed in the second half when once again the defense watched a Yokohama’s attacker run around their right flank and score through a narrow angle.

It was a desperate chase after that and although they had enough chances notably through Carlinhos and Dutra they scored only one goal back in additional time when the Yokohama’s defense allowed Takeuchi to shoot from a long range without much opposition.

S-Pulse, for all their efforts still have a long way to go to find the right balance between their pleasant attacking style and more rigor in defense. It will take time indeed but at least there is plenty of hope.

Next Saturday they will go on a perilous trip to Kawasaki to battle against the present leader of the J1 League. They have nothing to lose but all to gain there!

NEXT GAME
Meiji Yasuda J1 League
Match 13
Shimizu S-Pulse vs Kawasaki Frontale
Saturday August 29th 7pm
Todoroki Stadium, Kawasaki