J2 League

Game 22

Shimizu S-Pulse 3-1 Fagiano Okayama

Sunday June 30th, 6:00 pm

IAI Nihondaira Stadium (Shizuoka)

S-PULSE GOALS Carlinhos (20, 49), Yajima (79)

YELLOW CARDS Carlinhos (37), Inui (64)

RED CARDS

PENALTY KICK

ATTENDANCE 13759

LINE UP

GK Gonda

DF Yamahara, Takagi, Takahashi, Hara

MF Carlinhos, Nakamura, Inui, Miyamoto, Matsuzaki

FW Kitagawa

SUBSTITUTIONS

Shirasaki on for Carlinhos (65)

Yajima on for Inui (75)

Kitazume on for Matsuzaki (75)

Yoshida on for Nakamura (85)

Tanque on for Kitagawa (85)

REPORT

Important win against a tricky opponent!

There is very little gap between J1 and J2 Leagues, as shown by last year J2 Champions Machida leading this year J1 and other promoted Verdy and Jubilo very probably surviving.

It means that every game in J2 can be highly unpredictable as shown bu Akita who beat us on their pitch before being clobbered in the very next match on the same pitch.

Each game has become a cup leg to be won day in, day out.

Once again S-Pulse played with a second-string central defense and had some difficult times in spite of a dominating offense in spite of being fouled more than twice as many times but still suffering from more yellow cards.

S-Pulse was right on the money from the very 2nd minute when Hara was sent past the opposite defense by a sweet long pass but could not beat the advancing Okayama goal keeper.

But in the 20th minute a cross beat the opposite defense but Carlinhos who everyone expected to cross again from the other side of the pitch instead curled a superb goal into the far top corner lobbing a nonplussed Okayama keeper.

S-Pulse should have killed the game in the 22nd minute when Inui was allowed a shot from just outside the box that was too weak to beat the opposite keeper.

Two minutes later Okayama had their first chance of the game when they were too easily allowed past our right flank form where a dangerous cross found a lone attacker whose point-blank shot was superbly parried away by Gonda at full stretch.

In the 28th minute a clumsy defense on an Okayama corner kick allowed first a shot that was somehow repulsed by Gonda and the following header was saved by the bar.

But in the 42nd minute One more attack by Okayama completely flummoxed a flat-footed central S-Pulse defense who allowed an opposite forward to slip through and cleverly beat Gonda.

Whereas we should have handsomely led at half time we were back to point zero and start all over again in the second half.

But we started the second half enough to produce a good corner kick in the 49th minute when the Okayama defense could not clear the ball which reached Inui just inside the box. His sharp shot was fist parried by the opposite goal keeper but Carlinhos found himself in the right spot to kick in the rebound.

In the 57th minute a sweet combination allowed a shot to inui meters away from goal but the angle was too acute to score.

In the 74th minute S-Pulse were somewhat lucky when an Okayama forward missed a header by inches that Gonda would not have found any way to save.

But in the 79th inute S-Pulse stole the ball in midfield before reaching Inu who passed Yajima forward into the box. The latter somehow found the means to beat the goalkeeper in spite of a very acute angle for a superb score and deliverance.

In the 85th minute Kitazawa should have scored after an excellent control inside the box but his shot agonizingly hit the bar.

All in all not the easy game that the score would indicate.

S-Pulse will have to find away to greatly improve their defense before their next game at home on Saturday against another tricky opponent in the name of JEF United.

Moreover, Carlinhos and Inui will be absent because of too many yellow cards.

Once again we will need all the help from our diehard fans!

NEXT GAME

J2 League

Game 23

Shimizu S-Pulse vs JEF United

Sunday July 6th, 6:30 pm

IAI Nihondaira Stadium (Shizuoka)