Kashima Antlers 2-1 S-Pulse Osako 75, 90 ------------------------------------- Ito 14
Att. 6207
Line Up
GK Yamamoto (89)
DF Yoshida
DF Kang
DF Jong a Pin
DF Tachibana
MF Muramatsu (86)
MF Hattanada
MF Edamura
FW Ito
FW Shirasaki
FW Shibahara
Subs Used
Kawai on for Hattanda (HT)
Omae on for Shibahara (63)
Franca on for Shirasaki (71)
Report
As expected, a very young team was sent out to face Kashima this evening in an ultimately meaningless game. Meaningless by dint of us leading the group with five wins from five and progression to the knock out stages already secured.
Losing to a last minute goal is never fun, but really, for the team we put out (average age 22.9) we can be more than happy with the way they performed. Good to see Ito on the score sheet. He's been getting a lot of stick lately, but I know he wants to perform, so every little helps him get back on track.
As previously tweeted, our knock out stage games are against Nagoya, to be played July 25th and August 8th, the home leg being first.
But enough about us, tonight belongs to Jubilo Iwata.
Group A before kick off
All they had to do to secure progression was to avoid defeat. Hell, they could even afford to lose if Cerezo and Tosu ended in a draw. As it was they got taken apart 4-0, and Cerezo thrashed Tosu five to nothing. Jubilo crash out on goal difference in the most spectacular of circumstances and give us all a good laugh. :)
Videos
Highlights.
Really soft decision for the (1st) Kashima penalty. The players bumped, and the ref calls a spot kick. :-/
Really soft decision for the (2nd) Kashima penalty. Kaito times his tackle perfectly, gets the ball before man, and the ref calls a spot kick. :-/ And gives Kaito a yellow card. Poor refereeing from Masaaki Toma.
Takagi on for Ono (61) Brosque on for Takahara (73) Shirasaki on for Muramatsu (79)
Report
Once in a while I like to take a break from the samba-infused craziness behind the goal and watch from the reserved seats on the side. It's a completely different experience, not least the time you get to concentrate on the game, and the fact you don't have to turn up four hours before kick off to secure your favourite seat. Can see myself graduating to the side stand one day. Not just yet, though.
Depending on how you look at it, Saturday extended our unbeaten run at home, or was our fifth game without a win. Both is true, but the latter was the one felt most keenly. Tosu are a very hard team to beat, and anyone expecting a pushover was 1) ill informed, and 2) in for a surprise.
Very unsurprising to this viewer was Sagan's physical strength and hard work. They are organised and watching them live it's easy to see why they've established themselves as a J1 team. Unlike Sapporo who finished just one point behind them last year (so far this season: P15 W1 D1 L13), they will certainly be around in the top flight next year.
Following a start which didn't really allow us to play our game, we took the lead after a needless handling in the area brought a spot kick. Genki duly converted for S-Pulse's 999th league goal, and settled some of the nerves around a near sold out Nihondaira.
I should say here that maybe it was just the hope of all concerned to see our 1000th goal on home soil, but the weight of expectation was tangible and surely must be felt by the players. I certainly sensed it and it just added to the nerves. At 1-0 you're never save, and so it proved. "Good for Tosu! They've come such a long way!" came the analysis from my right hand side when the visitors pulled level. That's what you get when you take someone along for only their second game in a decade. It was ultimately a goal from a mistake, but on balance you couldn't begrudge them it.
When Ono and Brosque came on we were re-energised with a flurry of attacking in the final third (of the pitch and game), but we lacked that little bit of luck, and with such dogged defenders such as Tosu (along with us and league leaders Sendai, Tosu have conceded the second least of anyone in J1) it was always going to be a mission.
So another draw but no need to panic. We're not playing badly, just going through a bit of a dry spell. Next week it's off to Omiya who found their own defensive feet away at high flying Hiroshima with a 0-0 draw. A win could see us right back in the running, but before that, up to Kashima in a league cup dead rubber. We're both already through to the next round, so expect some youth and experimentation.
Kick off
Home end
View from the expensive seats
Decent support from Tosu
Videos
Personal vid of our first, Genki's penalty, from handball to spot kick.
The brainchild of Alan Gibson (read all about the man himself here) J. Soccer Magazine has gone nationwide - by which I mean the 'zine previously only available to order online is now on sale in a book shop (in Japan) near you. Congratulations!
J. Soccer nestling amongst other football magazines in Yajimaya, Shizuoka
The magazine is the first on the shelves fully bilingual and with the lion's share of writers from overseas. This gives it a unique perspective on football in Japan. And that's all aspects of football covered; not just the J. League. If you've yet to have the pleasure (the first three issues are available online alongside the new issue 4, here) then what are you waiting for?
As if you need any more reason to snap one up, yours truly has an article on (you guessed it) Japanese stadia covering four full colour, bilingual pages.
Several gratuitous S-Pulse mentions shoehorned in :)
Coming in the next issue is an S-Pulse extravaganza with extended features and an interview with our boss, but why wait until issue 5? Join the party today!
Tsuijo (59) on for Yoshida (56)
Ono on for Takagi (62)
Franca on for Omae (76)
Report
The first half was, as I tweeted, embarrassingly one sided. Our domination was almost total. Then a smash and grab goal from the home team in the 39th minute. It came as a massive blow, and was to turn out to be the difference.
Sugiyama on for Kobayashi (63)
Takagi on for Takahara (63)
Shirasaki on for Ishige (82)
Report
A mate's birthday yesterday with roughly three beers for each of the goals the national team put past Jordan meant today was something of a mission. I got to Nihondaira a mere five minutes before kick off and spent most the game struggling to stay upright, let alone samba.
The win maintains our perfect Nabisco campaign with five wins from five, 11 goals scored and only two conceded. The three points also confirms our progression to the knock out stage with one game (away to Kashima) left to play.
Our third goal (which I missed, having left on 80 minutes to get to something on the other side of town) came from Shirasaki. It was the first goal from the youngster, and I'm gutted I missed it, but made up that he's opened his account with us.
More to come tomorrow. I'm exhausted and am off to bed.
We started the game the better, and could have taken the lead a couple of times before Omiya surprised everyone with the opener. The response was almost immediate, as a perfect Lee freekick swung into the area was met by Hiraoka. He rose unchallenged to head home. To not go in at half time 1-0 down was a major advantage, and the second half was a a different game as a result.
Omae was taken down from behind as he chased a ball one on one with the Omiya keeper. To be fair, it didn't look to me like he was going to make it (I'd have to see it again to be sure) but Fukaya sensed enough danger to attempt a challenge. The result was a penalty and a straight red card. The defender was absolutely livid and had to be removed from the pitch by his own team mates.
Penalty
Omae converted the spot kick and the game was looking all ours. A few minutes after we took the lead I had to leave Nihondaira early (first time ever!) to get to a previous arrangement, so I missed the cherry on top of the victory, a first ever goal for teenager Shirasaki. From the video it looks like he did really well, so top marks that man.
The win puts us through to the knock outs, with the games due to happen on July 25th and August 8th, both Wednesdays. Barring a three goal defeat away to Kashima on the 27th, we're going to finish top of the group. Not sure who that means we'll be playing yet, but will tweet it as soon as I know.
So well done to the boys, and may our perfect campaign continue for four more ties. :)
Videos
First, in brilliant slow motion, the goals.
More personal videos, in normal speed. First, Hiraoka's equaliser. Not from a corner as I tweeted, and not from Omae's cross either.
Sapporo 0-4 S-Pulse ------------------------------------ Kawai 2 ------------------------------------ Lee 6 ------------------------------------ Ishige 57 ------------------------------------ Sugiyama 78
Att.3687
Line Up
GK Yamamoto
DF Yoshida
DF Hiraoka
DF Jong a Pin
DF Lee
MF Muramatsu
MF Sugiyama
MF Kobayashi
MF Kawai
FW Omae
FW Takagi
Subs Used
Ishige on for Kobayashi (HT)
Tsujio on for Yoshida (66)
Muramatsu on for Omae (85)
Report
S-Pulse swept past this year's J1 whipping boys Consadole Sapporo 4-0 at Atsubestsu Park this evening. The win makes it four our of four in 2012's Nabisco Cup group stage, and (barring Niigata winning both remaining games 3-0 and us losing both ours) secures a place in the knock outs with two games to play.
Top, top work from the lads. Our league cup teams have included a blend of youngsters, débutantes and some older heads. We've scored 8 and only conceded one. Today's four goals included strikes from the unlikely sources of Lee, Kawai, Sugiyama and most notably the Asian young player of the year, Hideki Ishige.
Hats off! This lot deserve a beer or three
Now here's to a safe journey back to Shizuoka tomorrow, and a relaxing game on Saturday at home to Omiya. Omiya are already out, we're effectively through, so we can expect the kids starting and hopefully some more goals like those that rewarded the travelling diehards in Hokkaido tonight. :)
Videos
Highlights! Check out the controlling touches and finisher's instinct for Ishige's goal. Pretty confident stuff from the 17 year old.
フットボールの母国出身ですが、２００３年から仕事のため静岡に住んでました。もちろん、故郷のBrighton and Hove Albionサポですけど、静岡に来た時から大エスパルスファンに成ったぞ！日本にいるなら、熱い熱いエスパルス応援をする。イギリスに帰国しても、地元のチームのスタジアムに戻っても、死ぬまでエスパサポです。もちろん。 エスパルスの事を世界にちゃんとに紹介したいのでこのホームページ作った。このブログは全部英語なので、英語が分からない方にはちょっと大変かもしれませんが、英語に興味ある方もエスパ好きな方も、歓迎です！！みんな頑張ってください！＾＾ｙ よろしくお願いします！ Barry より
That's four years of meaning to get round to it. Having followed the Mighty 'Pulse since 2004 and experienced enough highs, lows and last minute penalty misses to last a lifetime, it's high time we started documenting our adventures. Join us as we travel the length and breadth of Japan, seeing the sights, drinking the ales, befriending the locals, and occasionally even taking in 90 minutes here and there.
Originally consisting of one loan member sitting through a home defeat in a typhoon (without the luxury of a roof), the UK Ultras are now a fluid group of 20+ S-Pulse fans from around the world - including several Japanese! The only continent not yet represented is Africa.
Above and beyond acting as a scrapbook for our own varied misadventures, this fanzine's goal is to provide news and information to the English speaking world about a truly unique football club, and to help build and broaden S-Pulse's profile on the world stage. With thousands of visits here from all four corners of the planet, the world is clearly hungry to learn about S-Pulse, and we're happy to help spread the word.
Being a football fan has never just been about what happens on the pitch, and this fanzine is here to document all the fun and games that go along with following S-Pulse. We'll sometimes report on news other than S-Pulse which rattles our cage, but we're experts on nothing other than our own opinion, so don't take anything we say too seriously. Match reports being a good example. Wildly biased and put together on memory (it's not easy taking notes while dancing the samba), they may occasionally be lacking in analytical depth.
Other than that, just enjoy one of the wildest rides in the J. League - Shimizu S-Pulse!
Having set up this fanzine back in April 2008 it's since taken on a life and a momentum of it's own. It's not easy to always find the time to keep the site updated, but seeing how many hits we get from around the world, the effort is worth it.
When not bouncing around behind the goal at Nihondaira, he expends his remaining football energy on the glorious Brighton and Hove Albion.
Fuz: Fuz has settled into true Shimizu life, married a local and is working on producing enough children to form a football team of her own (or at least one to play for S-Pulse in the future).
She has been attending S-Pulse games since 2007 when she returned to Shimizu after a brief spell in her home country, and plans to attend for many many years to come. She admits to being a little bit in love with Okazaki and is happiest when Kaito is in goal.
When she's not rooting for the 'Pulse, Fuz spends her footie time following the mightyGlasgow Rangers.
Barry writes 
