J1 League

Game 22

Shimizu S-Pulse 0-2 Kashiwa Reysol

Date: Saturday June 28th, 6:30 pm

IAI Nihondaira Stadium (Shizuoka)

S-PULSE GOALS

YELLOW CARDS Capixaba (78), Bueno (88)

RED CARDS

PENALTY KICK Missed, Kitagawa (73)

ATTENDANCE 18159

LINE UP

GK Oki

DF Hasukawa, Brunetti, Sumiyoshi

MF Capixaba, Inui, Bueno, Matsuzaki, Hidaka

FW Kitagawa

SUBSTITUTIONS

Yajima on for Hidaka (67)

Nakahara on for Matsuzaki (67)

Chiba on for Kitagawa (76)

Kotake on for Uno (76)

Ohata on for Brunetti (83)

REPORT

We have our backs to he wall!

We have not won a single game out of four since the beginning of the second half of the season.

The red zone is getting uncomfortably near with little buffer zone left/

We were dominated and outclassed when it came to efficiency. We had basically the same number of attempts at goal and each four shots on target. The result? We lost by two goals to one. Not only that, but we managed to shoot ourselves in the foot by once again missing a penalty. You simply cannot afford this kind of mistake at that level.

Truth be told, we had to deal with more injuries forcing us to use younger players. But that is the same in every club.

In the 7th minute, Kashiwa played for at least 30 seconds in front of our box with S-Pulse defenders chasing shadows and being intercepted as soon as they thought they had escaped, all this to end wit a somewhat luckily deflected sucker punch, which could and should have been avoided.

In the 20th minute Kashiwa missed a golden opportunity when a vicious free kick from just outside the box was desperately parried by Oki, but the rebound was missed by everybody.

In the 22nd minute a completely flat-footed and apathetic S-Pulse defense offered another sucker punch on a plate. Kashiwa had needed only three attackers to beat 7 defenders.

We missed an half chance in the 40th minute to only allow once again another incursion 2 minutes later that only Oki managed to stop to avoid further damage.

All in all, the first half had been a woeful exercise in inefficient defense.

We courageously went on the attack in the second half only to witness in the 47th minute the epitome of the whole game when Capixaba beat the whole Kashiwa defense before sending the perfect cross that Kitagawa somehow missed in front of an empty goal.

In the 49th minute Kashiwa tried to help us with two successive blunders, but our last shot was pitifully pushed into the arme of the Kashiwa keeper.

But all the time we were living dangerously and in the 56th minute we allowed once again too much freedom but the last shot just flew over our bar.

In the 62nd minute Kashiwa did everything to miss the ball at least three times and every time we were unbale to capitalize. Actually, the ball had touched a defender’s arm, but the penalty was refused. Even luck refused to help us.

But in the 72nd we were final awarded a penalty kick when at least two Kashiwa defenders’ arms helped repel a dangerous free kick.

Unfortunately, Kitagawa completely wasted it when he allowed the opposite keeper to comfortably save his shot.

The far post helped us further punishment in the 80th minute, and frankly speaking we did very little to redeem ourselves for the rest of game and even incurring two yellow cards.

We know what is next:

Survival at all costs in every game, starting with a difficult away game at Machida on Saturday!

NEXT GAME

J1 League

Game 23

Shimizu S-Pulse vs Machida Zelvia

Date: Saturday July 7th, 6:00 pm

Machida Athletic Stadium (Machida)