2009-10-12 Emperor’s Cup Update (2nd Round), Sanfrecce 5-0 Japan Soccer College

KOBAYASHI looks rueful as Sanfrecce's TAKAYANAGI Issei celebrates scoring the fourth goal - stefanole

Sanfrecce (J1) 5-0 Japan Soccer College (Niigata)

Sanfrecce breezed into the third round of the Emperor’s Cup with an easy victory over Niigata’s Japan Soccer College.

Japan Soccer College dodge a clear penalty and sending-off - stefanole

The score should have been more, but the combination of an ineffective front man and some shocking refereeing from Tadashi KOUSE served to spare some of the students’ blushes.

Croatian winger Mihael MIKIC, and eccentric young goalkeeper NAKABAYASHI Hirotsugu were the two players rested by manager Petrovic. SATO Hisato, club captain and striker, was away on international duty with the Japanese national team, coming on as a late substitute in the 6-0 win over Hong Kong and the 5-0 win over Togo.

In their places, RI Han Jae played in right midfield, and SATO Akihiro made his return between the posts. Sato’s return is presumably in anticipation of a return to the side in the league against Gamba Osaka this weekend. Veteran SHIMODA Takashi stayed on the bench as the reserve keeper, but even from there you could see he was in much better shape than a couple of months ago.

Hisato’s absence meant Petrovic had a license to properly test out Tadanari LEE for the first time in the lone striker position, supposedly his preferred position (he has usually played in attacking midfield for us up until now). On the evidence of his performance, however, Lee is unlikely to dislodge Hisato from the striker’s position for the rest of this season at least. The official JFA match report records Lee as having no attempts at goal in the entire match, which I would posit is unacceptable for a striker playing against what is effectively a youth team. Sanfrecce looked more dangerous and caused more confusion when they broke up the wings, Lee having a tendency to hold the ball up too much and give it away easily with poor control.

MORISAKI Kazu was made the captain in Hisato’s absence, and he controlled the game well from defensive midfield. Sanfrecce passed the ball well, and used their utilised the space efficiently to open up gaps which the attacking players could exploit.

KASHIWAGI Yosuke stoops to head Sanfrecce's third - stefanole

Sanfrecce were less effective with Kazu’s departure, at which point MAKINO Tomoaki was given the captain’s armband. RAKUYAMA and OKAMOTO did not manage a shot between them, the former replacing the anonymous and disappointing RI Han Jae and the latter replacing TAKAYANAGI Issei.

More impressive was HIRASHIGE Ryuichi, his perma-scowl not lifting even after he slotted an 18-yard shot past Kobayashi after it looked like he’d tried to take on too many defenders. Hirashige’s goal was the fifth, and the last one scored after he replaced Kazu. Hirashige ended the game with the most shots on goal (five) out of Sanfrecce’s total of fourteen.

ASO Shun was tenacious in defensive midfield for Japan Soccer College - stefanole

Attendance:

3,485 (average for Round 2: 3,435; total attendance for Round 2: 109,918)

Goals:

HATTORI 10′ (1-0)
TAKAHAGI 26′ (2-0)
KASHIWAGI 38′ (3-0)
TAKAYANAGI 54′ (4-0)
HIRASHIGE 80′ (5-0)

Lineup:

……………………………………..LEE (FW)
…………TAKAYANAGI……………..KASHIWAGI (AMF)
….HATTORI…………………………………….RI (MF)
………KAZU…………………….TAKAYANAGI (DMF)
….NAKAJIMA……………..MAKINO………………MORIWAKI (DF)
…………………………….SATO (GK)

Used Substitutes:

RAKUYAMA (RI 45′)
OKAMOTO (TAKAYANAGI 56′)
HIRASHIGE (KAZU 61′)

Unused Substitutes:

SHIMODA
MORITA
YOKOTAKE
MARUTANI

Misconduct:

HATTORI (YC 51′, Unsporting Behaviour)
MORIWAKI (YC 84′, Unsporting Behaviour)

Other Round 2 results

The shock of the round came as Matsumoto Yamaga, playing in the equivalent of J4, overcame Urawa Red Diamonds of J1 by a margin of 2-0. The 14,494 fans who packed the Matsumoto Stadium in Nagano (the best-attended match of the round) saw Yamaga triumph against a team ranked exactly 50 places higher in the Japanese league pyramid. Inconsistency in their league (the Hokushinetsu League) means that Yamaga can only promote to J3 if they win a 32-team playoff (the All Japan Cup) and then place in the All Japan Promotion Series against 16 other hopefuls. Their performance in the Emperor’s Cup, however, has booked them a tie against the more accomodating J2 side FC Gifu in the third round.

Other surprise exits were Cerezo Osaka, leaders of J2, who lost to a fired-up Fukushima United of the Tohoku regional league. Fukushima finished second in the Tohoku League, finishing equal on points with Grulla Morioka but losing out on goal difference by a single goal. They are therefore in the same position as Matsumoto Yamaga, in that they have to win two tournaments just to promote to J3. They play Yokohama F. Marinos in the third round.

Shonan Bellmare of J2 were also surprised by supposedly inferior opposition, but I would not call their 1-0 defeat by the prestigious Meiji University a shock exactly. I am sure that Meiji will provide a stern test for J1’s Montedio Yamagata in the third round, and in fact I would not be surprised if Montedio’s relegation fight is too much of a distraction for them to perform in that match. The other J2 teams to fall at the first hurdle were Tokushima Vortis and bankruptcy-threatened Tokyo Verdy. The National Institute of Fitness and Sports in Kanoya, and Honda Lock (corporate team representing, you guessed it, the company that makes all the locks for Honda’s cars and motorcycles) progress to the third round in their stead.

They will not be joined by Saga Higashi High School, who battled through only to lost 5-0 against their local heroes, J2’s Sagan Tosu. Two goals in the last two minutes served to distort what would have been a more respectable scoreline.

The second round was equally unkind to Chugoku’s other representatives. Fagiano Okayama of J2 lost 4-1 on penalties to Kataller Toyama after playing out what may have actually been an entertaining 0-0 draw (the official match report records 25 shots on goal in the match). Gainare Tottori of the Japan Football League (J3) lost out to a late goal in their 2-1 loss to J2’s Consadole Sapporo, and Renofa Yamaguchi were humiliated by J1’s Kawasaki Frontale 6-1 (the biggest defeat of the round). Since Fukuyama University, Tottori Dreams and Mitsubishi Mizushima all fell in the first round, Sanfrecce are the only Chugoku team left to contest the third round.

Round three will take place on Saturday, the 31st of October.

Round 2 results:

Kashima Antlers 1 – 0 Arte Takasaki
Ehime F.C. 2 – 2 (a.e.t.) Avispa Fukuoka
Vissel Kobe 5 – 0 Tokai University
Kashiwa Reysol 0 – 0 (a.e.t.) JEF United Reserves
Sanfrecce Hiroshima 5 – 0 Japan Soccer College
Sagan Tosu 5 – 0 Saga Higashi High School
Gamba Osaka 5 – 2 Ryutsu Keizai University F.C.
Mito HollyHock 2 – 3 (a.e.t.) Fukuoka University
V-Varen Nagasaki 0 – 4 Yokohama F. Marinos
Cerezo Osaka 1 – 2 Fukushima United F.C.
Kawasaki Frontale 6 – 1 Renofa Yamaguchi
Kataller Toyama 0 – 0 (4-1 pen) Fagiano Okayama F.C.
F.C. Tokyo 4 – 0 Kamatamare Sanuki
Thespa Kusatsu 3 – 1 Sagawa Shiga F.C.
Sony Sendai F.C. 2 – 4 Omiya Ardija
Vegalta Sendai 1 – 0 (a.e.t.) Zweigen Kanazawa
Matsumoto Yamaga F.C. 2 – 0 Urawa Red Diamonds
F.C. Gifu 1 – 0 Tochigi S.C.
Oita Trinita 3 – 3 (4-3 pen) Yokogawa Musashino F.C.
JEF United 3 – 0 Honda F.C.
Nagoya Grampus 4 – 0 Okinawa Kariyushi F.C.
Tokyo Verdy 0 – 1 Honda Lock S.C.
Jubilo Iwata 2 – 0 Kochi University
Tokushima Vortis 1 – 3 National Institute of Fitness and Sports in Kanoya
Montedio Yamagata 2 – 0 Nippon Bunri University
Shonan Bellmare 0 – 1 Meiji University
Nara Club 0 – 3 Albirex Niigata
Roasso Kumamoto 2 – 2 (2-4 pen) Yokohama F.C.
Shimizu S-Pulse 2 – 0 Sagawa Printing S.C.
Consadole Sapporo 2 – 1 Gainare Tottori
Kyoto Sanga F.C. 4 – 0 Vertfee Takahara Nasu
Ventforet Kofu 3 – 3 (4-3 pen) Kansai University

Round 3 fixtures:

Kashima Antlers vs Avispa Fukuoka
Vissel Kobe vs Kashiwa Reysol
Sanfrecce Hiroshima vs Sagan Tosu
Gamba Osaka vs Fukuoka University
Yokohama F. Marinos vs Fukushima United F.C.
Kawasaki Frontale vs Kataller Toyama
F.C. Tokyo vs Thespa Kusatsu
Omiya Ardija vs Vegalta Sendai
Matsumoto Yamaga F.C. vs F.C. Gifu
Oita Trinita vs JEF United
Nagoya Grampus vs Honda Lock S.C.
Jubilo Iwata vs National Institute of Fitness and Sports in Kanoya
Montedio Yamagata vs Meiji University
Albirex Niigata vs Yokohama F.C.
Shimizu S-Pulse vs Consadole Sapporo
Kyoto Sanga F.C. vs Ventforet Kofu