J2 League

Game 9

Shimizu S-Pulse 1-0 Kofu Ventforet

Sunday April 7th, 2:00 pm

JIT Recycle Ink Stadium (Kofu)

S-PULSE GOALS Sumiyoshi (90)

YELLOW CARDS

RED CARDS

PENALTY KICK

ATTENDANCE 14268

LINE UP

GK Gonda,

DF Yamahara, Takahashi, Sumiyoshi, Yoshida

MF Yajima, Nakamura, Miyamoto, Shirasaki, Braga

FW Carlinhos

SUBSTITUTIONS

Kitazume on for Yoshida (61)

Kitagawa on for Shirasaki (61)

Matsuzaki on for Braga (67)

Inui on for Yajima (67)

Nishihara on for Carlinhos (80)

REPORT

Such an important win!

A victory achieved through grit and a little help from Lady Luck!

In a game dubbed the Mount Fuji Derby, which also could have been called the Shimizu Grand Battle as Kofu’s head coach was a former S-Pulse’s Head Coach, and in front of the biggest crowd this year in Kofu, S-Pulse for the first time took the lead of the J2 League. At the same time last year, we were battling our way out of the relegation zone!

Of course, the season has barely started but we are certainly on the right path after beating a team on their turf, a feat we could not perform in any game against them last year!

This time we started with a more regular team, what with more established members coming back from injuries, especially in the second half when the bench came into action.

Kofu dominated possession in the first half but their first attempt at goal, a long-range shot, flew past the far post only in the 11th minute.

In the 27th minute some timid defense by Shimizu allowed a good opportunity to their opponents right outside the box but the attempt flew directly to Gonda.

In the 34th minute we somehow repelled a very dangerous corner kick that was flying directly into goal but for Gonda’s desperate parry.

We finally had our first chance in the 38th minute when a dangerous cross by Yamahara should have been better met inside the box.

3 minutes into the second half Shimizu had all the pains in the world to repel another dangerous corner kick and were only saved by Gonda’s last reflex and leg.

In the 56th minute Gonda was once again extended after poor defense on another corner kick.

But S-Pulse were finally starting to assert themselves and should have done better in the 58th minute when it was the turn for Kofu to miss out in defense but the last shot was skied away above the bar.

When experimented players, especially Inui, came in as substitutes S-Pulse began to make forays into Kofu’s defense and Matsuzaki in the 89th minute saw a great shot of it barely curling outside the far post.

But Lady Luck definitely helped us when in the 86th minute we allowed another long-rage attempt which was only saved by Gonda’s right post.

Deliverance came in the 90th minute when a corner kick was cleared into Inui’s path who gently volleyed the ball back in front of goal where new recruit Sumiyoshi met it with a fine header for his first goal in three years, which sent him screaming in unrestrained joy running into the enormous S-Pulse’s fan crowd.

Now, we have to confirm this improvement next Saturday in Iwaki, a team greatly changed from last year’s timid newly promoted club who are just coming back from a hard-won draw at Yokohama with one player down.

It might well prove as a definite turning point of the season!

NEXT GAME

J2 League

Game 10

Shimizu S-Pulse vs Iwaki FC

Saturday April 13th, 4:00 pm

Hawaiians Stadium Iwaki (Iwaki)