Meiji Yasuda J2 League

Match 8

Shimizu S-Pulse 12-1 Tokyo Verdy

Saturday April 8th 2:00pm

IAI Stadium Nihondaira, Shizuoka

S-PULSE GOALS Kitazume (45 + 2), Oh Se-Hun (90)

YELLOW CARDS Santana (39), Kishimoto (90 + 4)

RED CARDS

PENALTY KICK

ATTENDANCE 10418

LINE UP

GK Gonda

DF Kitazume, Takahashi, Suzuki, Kishimoto

MF Carlinhos, Shirasaki, Inui, Ronaldo, Nakayama

FW Santana

SUBSTITUTIONS

Kitagawa on for Carlinhos (61)

Kmaiya on for Inui (67)

Oh Se-Hun on for Santana (67)

Nishizawa on for Nakayama (77)

Miyamoto on for Ronaldo (77)

REPORT

At long last!

And we certainly deserved to win this game although for once we needed extra time in both halves to achieve that. We at last truly showed a never die resolution!

Incidentally, a lady referee officiated for the first time in a League game in our Stadium!

Although we dominated the game, especially in the second half to the tune of 14 shots to 7 and 14 corner kicks to 2, Tokyo Verdy proved why they are presently lying the very top of the League by defending nails and teeth all game long.

We cannot say we started well as in the very 5th minute we just looked at our opponents taking all their time to execute a corner kick and then failed to clear the ball in a comedy of errors to allow a powerful close range shot into the roof of our goal.

We had to wait until the 35th minute before we had two consecutive point-blank shots repulsed after a clever cross from the right-hand side.

In the 44th minute a corner kick was met and missed the far post by a handspan.

The following minute a free kick from outside the box was headed point-blank again but the Verdy goalkeeper once again somehow parried it before one defender cleared the ball off the line.

Fans started to really worry we were once again moving towards a disappointing game in spite of these chances when in first half extra time one more attack found right back Kitazume running inside the box before firing the ball into goal in spite of the very narrow angle to deliver its team just in time.

The second half witnessed a more enterprising and intelligent football by S-Pulse who saw in the 47th minute Inui extend the Verdy keeper with a middle range attempt.

In the 77th minute Verdy had their last attempt at goal after some very inept S-Pulse defense on a rare conceded corner kick.

In the 86th minute an excellent attack was foiled for lack of power in the last shot.

But deliverance came in the 90th minute after Verdy had once again conceded a corner kick. It was perfectly curved from the left over the Verdy defense to meet the head of 24-year-old substitue Oh Se-Hun who had raised above everyone to beat the opposite goal keeper inside the far post.

Kitagawa almost beat the Verdy keeper in the very next minute after a quick counter delivering a middle range shot barely palmed away.

After 5 minutes of extra time, we could finally start celebrating for the first time of the season in the J2 League!

Now, we will have to confirm this long-awaited revival on Wednesday at home against Vegalta Sendai!

NEXT GAME

Meiji Yasuda J2 League

Match 9

Shimizu S-Pulse vs Vegalta Sendai

Wednesday April 12th 7:00pm

IAI Stadium Nihondaira, Shizuoka