Nabisco Cup Final - Jublio Iwata 5 Sanfrecce Hiroshima 3 - November 3, 2010

This past Wednesday was Culture Day in Japan which meant it was time for the final of the Nabisco Cup, the J League's equivalent to the Carling Cup. I watched it last year so won't write about the tournament structure this time, interested readers can check out last year's post.

The Teams

Although the game is played in Tokyo, the teams are labeled as visitor and home so the fans buy the right tickets. The visitors were Sanfrecce Hiroshima. I actually watched their first game in the tournament back on September 1st, when they lost 1-0 to Gamba Osaka. But they managed to win the second leg 2-1 and then beat Shimizu S Pulse in the semi-finals to make it here. They have never won the Nabsico Cup, nor taken a full season title in the J League, so this was a great chance for them to gain some real silverware (they have one Super Cup but that is just a one-game trophy which they qualified for by losing the Emperor's Cup the previous year). In the J League this season they lie 9th with 11 wins and 9 draws out of 28 matches.

They were facing Jublio Iwata, a one-time dynasty based in Shizuoka Prefecture, which is just southwest of Tokyo. Between 1997 and 2002, the club won 3 league titles , a Nabisco Cup, an Emperor's Cup and an Asian title, but they've fallen into the mid-table the past few years. This season they sit two spots below Hiroshima with a 10-9-9 record. Their goalkeeper is Yoshikatsu Kawaguchi, who backstopped the Japanese in the 2002 World Cup, but who is nearing retirement.

I should mention that Hiroshima didn't participate in the round-robin portion of the tournament as they were playing in the AFC Champions League. So this was only their 5th Nabisco Cup game, while Iwata had played 11.

The Fans

Both teams had thousands of supporters at each end of the stadium. I expected Jublio (above) to have a few more fans simply because they are closer, and outside the stadium there were dozens of buses with Iwata banners. But the Hiroshima faithful (below) had made the journey in great numbers as well and both sides presented their colours and songs before the game. What I found interesting is that there were less Sanfrecce fans at the game I saw in Hiroshima; glad to see that they are embracing the idea of the road trip!

The Game

I'm going to refrain from detailed descriptions of all the goals in this game, because there were eight of them! That's right, 8 goals in a soccer game. What's even more amazing is that there were only three goals at the 88 minute mark. After that, things got pretty wild. Before proceeding, I suggest you check out a YouTube Video that shows them all.

With the video, it's difficult to understand how quickly those goals came though. The first 25 minutes of the match were rather dull, with neither team able to generate any offense. Iwata came closest when a free kick from Kota Ueda (directly below) missed the top corner (below that).

The first goal was scored in the 36th minute when Keisuke Funatani ran onto a perfect cross from Ryoichi Maeda, heading the ball through Shusaku Nishikawa's legs.

But Hiroshima were not fazed, and Croatian Mihael Mikic made a spectacular run down the right flank, shaking two defenders, running into the box, and crossing to Tadanari Lee, who mishit the ball moving backwards but caught Kawaguchi going the wrong way and the ball dribbled into the net.

If you watched the video above, you would have seen Sanfrecce holding a big team celebration, as all 11 players on the field, including the keeper, gathered near the Iwata net, went to one knee, and made a motion as if drawing a bow. I'm not sure of the meaning, but it was a bit over the top.

Jublio's Norihiro Nishi

Hiroshima's second goal came just 3 minutes into the second half when a long ball from Koji Morisaki eluded two Iwata defenders and found itself on the foot of Satoru Yamagishi who calmly slotted past Kawaguchi. Yamagishi then ran to the Sanfreece supporters and took quite a while getting back to the field, but the referee didn't warn him which I found surprising. Two goals and two excessive celebrations; would the soccer gods take offense?

The answer would be yes. In the 88th minute, Nishikawa couldn't handle a strong header off a corner kick and the ball went straight to Maeda (last year's J League scoring champ) who tapped home to tie the match and send it to overtime. The picture above shows Maeda's outstretched leg touching the ball, which is hidden by a lunging Nishikawa.

The extra time started slowly, although Sanfrecce hit the crossbar midway through. But it was another corner kick that led to the goal as Iwata's Minoru Suganuma volleyed home a headed pass 12 minutes in. That seemed to crush Hiroshima, who promptly made a defensive blunder that allowed Ryohei Yamazaki to score two minutes later. But no, Sanfrecce had a free kick that was expertly taken by Tomoaki Makino, beating a diving Kawaguchi to make it 4-3 at the extra time interval. That's 3 goals in 3 minutes, a rather unusual occurrence in soccer, and it looked like Hiroshima had hope.

But just four minutes into the second half of OT, Maeda added his second, chesting down a long free kick and racing into the box, where he chipped over Nishikawa to seal the game. Sanfrecce had a penalty at the final whistle, but Kawaguchi made a diving stop to send the Iwata fans into a frenzy.

Jublio wins the Nabisco Cup 5-3! What an amazing game! Not particularly well played by either side, particular the Hiroshima defense who were constantly giving up chances, but a lot of fun to watch. Neither goalkeeper will be writing home about this one either, but the fans certainly enjoyed it. Below is a list of the goals.

The Free Stuff

The other great thing about the Nabisco Cup is getting free junk food. This year was Oreo chocolate cream cookies and Chip Star, a rather bland Pringles imitation. There was also a double-sided trading card with Hisato Sato of Hiroshima on one side and Iwata's Maeda on the other. There is also the pamphlet with the history of the tournament and detailed descriptions of both teams.

Next Up

November 13th is the AFC Champions League final. Before that there is a baseball game between the Korean champion SK Wyverns and the NPB champion, which I may go to. After that I'm in Okinawa for a few days and then there's some Top League Rugby on the 27th. Then the roadtrip portion of the blog gets restarted as I'm off US and Canada for a month of hockey, football, and basketball. I'll post the final trip schedule next week as it has been decided and tickets have been booked.

Best,

Sean

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Nabisco Cup Final Set

Just a quick post, about a week late, to note that the Nabisco Cup final will pit Sanfrecce Hiroshima against Jublio Iwata. I saw Hiroshima's first game in the competition back on September 1st when they lost 1-0 to Gamba Osaka. But they rebounded to win the second leg and then beat Shimizu S Pulse in the semi-finals. Meanwhile in the other semi, Iwata knocked off the team I semi-support, Kawasaki Frontale to advance. Iwata has a much more storied history with several league championships and an Emperor's Cup to their name, mostly from the late 90s, while Hiroshima has very little to brag about, winning only the 2008 Super Cup.

The game is on November 3rd at 14:00 and I was smart this year and got tickets in advance. Both teams are in the middle of the table in J League, so it should be an interesting match. I'll be cheering for Hiroshima though so if you are a gambler, taking Iwata is the wise choice as teams I root for have a bad habit of losing regularly.

Best,

Sean

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Gamba Osaka 1 at Sanfrecce Hiroshima 0 - Nabisco Cup QF - September 1, 2010

The J League is taking a break from its regular season schedule for the first rounds of the Emperor's Cup as well as the quarterfinals of the Nabisco Cup. The first leg of the latter competition was played yesterday and one of the matches featured Gamba Osaka and Sanfrecce Hiroshima.

For both teams, it was their first match in the tournament as they had both qualified for the AFC Champions League and therefore received a bye to the quarter final. For me, it was a chance to see Hiroshima's Big Arch Stadium and get a start on a long sports weekend.

Hiroshima Big Arch

Located about 35 minutes from downtown Hiroshima, the Big Arch is a multi-purpose stadium that was opened in 1992. You can get there by taking the Astram Line train from downtown to the final station, Koiki-koen-mae or there are shuttle buses from Yokogawa station. The Astram line does have the advantage of having a 600 yen "Sanfrecce Supporters' Ticket" that allows unlimited rides from 4 hours before the game until the end of the day and is the cheapest way to get there and back. The stadium is a 5-minute walk from the station although there are free shuttle buses there that take you right up to the parking lot. These buses are not available after the game though.

From the parking lot, you walk up a tree-lined path to the main gate, shown below. However, the actual entrance is around the back of the stadium.

As it is used for other events, there is a track circling the field, which puts the seats far away from the action. It still seems smaller than the National Stadium though and I was happy with the view. As in most J.League stadiums, there are a few reserved seats (in pink in the picture below) on one half on the stadium, while the rest are unreserved benches. The Big Arch refers to a large canopy that covers the south side (shown below0 and it is here where the reserved seats are located. The north side is called the backstand and it is here where the supporters sit. It's 1,000 yen cheaper than the reserved seats and I recommend sitting on this side as you can choose exactly where you want to sit.

There are various food options like fried chicken or noodles, but you're better off eating before or after the game in one of Hiroshima's many great restaurants.

Overall, the stadium is in a nice location but doesn't offer anything special on the inside. Still, I found it comfortable and a good place to watch the game and would say that if you are in town at the same time as Sanfrecce, it is worth visiting.

The Game

The Nabisco Cup is not a big draw in Japan, as evidenced by the few Osaka fans in attendance.

Gamba were lying 6th in the J League table while Hiroshima was 9th - both teams had 9 wins out of 21 games but Gamba had drawn 7 to Hiroshima's 5. The big news before the game was Gamba's best player and Japanese national team member Yasuhito Endo being sidelined with a calf injury.

When the players were introduced, the supporters unfurled a huge banner that covers the fans in the middle of the backstand, which is where I was sitting. It's interesting as it moves up and down but claustrophobes might not appreciate it.

Sanfrecce kicked off and started quickly, getting a long through ball to an open forward whose shot was parried over by Osaka keeper Yosuke Fujigaya in the first 10 seconds. They continued to try this strategy, sending long balls deep but they couldn't generate any more chances. Gamba eventually adjusted and the match settled into a back-and-forth pattern with few memorable moments.

Late in the half, Hiroshima midfielder Yojiro Takahagi was found completely uncovered in the box but his header missed terribly to keep the game scoreless at halftime.

Osaka took control in the second stanza though, attacking directly and generating a number of good opportunities. Early on Hiroshima's keeper Shusaku Nishikawa mishandled a cross and the ball fell to Lucas (above) waiting on the left side, but he drove it wide. A few minutes later, Sanfrecce gave the ball away just outside the box and Nishikawa was forced to make a great save off Tomokazu Myojin.

Takahiro Futagawa with a free kick

But Osaka's pressure forced Sanfrecce into many more giveaways and it was just a matter of time before they scored. Sure enough, in the 66th minute, Lucas found himself at the top of the box. He did a little stutter step, turned and shot weakly. But Nishikawa was going the wrong way and couldn't recover as the ball slid just beyond his outstretched hand, brushing the inside of the post and giving Osaka the deserved lead.

Gamba continued to pressure, generating a couple of chances before Sanfrecce made their final substitution, bringing on Croatian Mihael Mikic who was an energetic addition to the midfield. He danced up and down the right flank but was unable to create good chances as the Osaka defenders were equal to the task. That's Mikic below sending a ball through.

As time wound down, Hiroshima tried to find the equalizer and although they came close, the ball stayed out of the net. The final whistle sounded and Osaka were happy with the 1-0 road win.

The teams play the second leg next Wednesday in Osaka. Hiroshima will need to take better care of the ball in that one if they are to have any hope of coming back.

9/8 Update: The second leg was held tonight and Hiroshima defeated Gamba 2-1 to advance on the away goals rule! They will play Shimizu S Pulse in one semi final while Kawasaki Frontale takes on Jublio Iwata in the other. The first leg is September 29 while the second is October 10. Here's hoping Sanfrecce and Frontale meet in the final on November 3rd.

Next Up

Three games this weekend with Hanshin visiting the Carp at Mazda Stadium. I'll have a summary of the series next week. I also saw an unbelievably long minor league game today and will have a post on that shortly.

Best,

Sean

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Trip to Osaka, Hiroshima and Nagoya planned

While I am still based in Japan, I want to see as many sports venues as possible. With the J League schedule finally being released on February 3rd, I've put together a short 1-week trip to Osaka, Hiroshima, and Nagoya at the end of March. Each city is home to at least one pro baseball team and one J League team, so there's a good range of games to choose from. Here's the schedule:

Mar 26 Yokohama at Hanshin (Central League season opener)
Mar 27 Urawa Reds at Cerezo Osaka (J League)
Mar 28 Vegalta Sendai at Gamba Osaka (J League)
Mar 30 Adelaide United at Sanfrecce Hiroshima (AFC Champions League)
Mar 31 Hanshin at Hiroshima (Central League)
Apr  1 Hanshin at Hiroshima (Central League)
Apr  2 Hanshin at Chunichi (Central League)
Apr  3 Vissel Kobe at Nagoya Grampus (J League)
Apr  4 Consodale Sapporo at F.C. Gifu (J2)

It's just a coincidence that all the baseball games involve the Hanshin Tigers. The main point of this trip is to see games at Mazda Stadium in Hiroshima; it was opened last year but I didn't get down there, which is unacceptable for a sports road tripper. It's also interesting that I'll get a rematch of the Emperor's Cup semi-final between Vegalta Sendai and Gamba Osaka. Two of the games are being played in venues that are not the teams usual home: the first game is at the Kyocera Dome in Osaka rather than Koshien, and the Nagoya Grampus game is in nearby Toyota city.

This trip won't involve a car; it will be done entirely on public transit. It should be a fun week, so check back for posts on each game.

Update (March 22nd): Due to unforeseen circumstances (namely the girlfriend getting a new job) I'll be taking a trip to Singapore and Malaysia during this time so this trip has been cancelled, but should be replaced with a short jaunt to Hiroshima sometime in the summer.

Best,

Sean

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