J2 League
Game 16
Shimizu S-Pulse 0-2 Yokohama FC
Saturday May 18th, 2:00 pm
NHK Spring Mitsuzawa Football Stadium (Yokohama)
S-PULSE GOALS
YELLOW CARDS Nakamura (27), Carlinhos (34)
RED CARDS
PENALTY KICK
ATTENDANCE 12735
LINE UP
GK Gonda
DF Hara, Takahashi, Sumiyoshi, Yamahara
MF Braga, Miyamoto, Nakamura, Yajima
FW Carlinhos, Kitagawa
SUBSTITUTIONS
Kitazume on for Yajima (54)
Inui on for Carlinhos (54)
Matsuzaki on for Braga (65)
Nishizawa on for hara (75)
Tanque on for Miyamoto (75)
REPORT
End of a record consecutive win series. You cannot win all games…
But there was a sense of déjà vu in the way a mentally tired team played after such a long successful series.
Truth be told Yokohama FC along with V-Varen Nagasaki are the true contenders for direct promotion with Shimizu S-Pulse. No real wonder we lost both games away from home. As for those very rivals another win by Shimizu would have probably sealed the J2 league.
It should result into a more exciting and hard-fought rest of the season which should provide the necessary impetus and renewed commitment missing in that game.
Yookohama dominated from the start and in the 10th minute a slow defense allowed them a long-range shot that extended Gonda.
In the 14th minute we did exactly show the same lack of commitment in the defense and allowed yet another long range shot that barely missed the far post.
In the ensuing corner kick, Yokohama all but scored against a still flat-footed Shimizu defense.
But what would happen happened on yet another corner kick in the 18th minute, an almost exact copy of the previous corner kick but this time the ball was headed by another unmarked forward for a very soft goal.
Shimizu S-Pulse got their first chance in the 32nd minute with a free kick just outside the box. But the excellent set-piece was all wasted by a great clearance only meters from goal that hopelessly flew over the bar.
In the 43rd minute a sweet corner kick was woefully wasted with only a couple of meters to go.
Shimizu were unlucky not to score in the 51st minute when Carlinhos’ header was somehow palmed away and no one could reach the third bound.
But then Yokohama started to reassert themselves and only the bar saved S-Pulse in the 65th minute.
S-Pulse did try their best to at least equalize but in the 5th minute of extra time Yokohama put the game on ice with a deep counter against leaden legged S-Pulse players that almost fail and would have in normal times.
For all their lack of brilliance S-Pulse at least showed plenty of courage and that should be encouraging.
Next game is at home against Mito Hollyhock, a team, although mired in the middle of the table, that will be taken seriously considering their recent results.
We will certainly need our fans’ encouragements!
NEXT GAME
J2 League
Game 17
Shimizu S-Pulse vs Mito Hollyhock
Saturday May 26th, 2:00 pm
IAI Nihondaira Stadium (Shizuoka)
