J-League champions Kashima Antlers completed a Japanese soccer double yesterday when they defeated relegation-bound Sanfrecce Hiroshima 2-0 to win the Emperor's Cup.
It was Kashima's third cup final success since the professional league was inaugurated in 1993, following victories in 1997 and 2000.
"I was appointed as the coach in order to win the title. We won the J-League last month and now added another," Kashima's Brazilian coach Oswaldo Oliveira said.
PHOTO: AFP
"This is the end of the season and the beginning of the new season at the same time. I'd like to thank everybody that we were able to finish the season on a winning note," he said.
"It is not the result of today's match, it was the result of what we have worked hard for throughout the season. That's why we won today," Oliveira said.
"I'm very grateful to the players," Oliveira told NHK Television in Japan. "This win is a tribute to the terrific spirit they have."
PHOTO: AFP
Kashima took only eight minutes to open the scoring when Brazilian forward Marquinhos passed to defender Atsuto Uchida to strike home, watched by a New Year's Day crowd of 46,000 at Tokyo's National Stadium.
Hiroshima tried hard to hit back, but Kashima killed the game off with an injury-time counter-attack, substitute Atsushi Yanagisawa sending in a cross for Brazilian midfielder Danilo to score from the left.
"It was really a long season and I'm very happy that we finished like this. As for my goal, I tried to send a pass to Yuzo [Tashiro], but he was severely checked, so I hit a shot. It happened to go in," Uchida said.
Kashima have won the J-League five times, in 1996, 1998, 2000, 2001 and last year.
For Hiroshima it was their fourth losing final since the J-League started, after disappointments in 1995, 1996 and 1999. Defeat in Japan's traditional season closer compounded Hiroshima's misery following their relegation from the top flight.
Midfielder Koji Morisaki came closest for Hiroshima with a dipping effort, but they rarely threatened to spring an upset, or bring any festive cheer to their shivering supporters.
Kashima won their fifth J-League championship in dramatic circumstances last month, snatching the title from Urawa Reds on the final day of the season after erasing a 10-point deficit.
Uchida's goal gave Kashima their first Emperor's Cup title since 2000, when they became the first team to win the J-League, Emperor's Cup and J-League Cup treble.
NO HARD FEELINGS: Taiwan’s Lin Hsiang-ti and Indonesia’s Dhinda Amartya Pratiwi embraced after fighting to a tense and rare 30-29 final game in their Uber Cup match The Taiwanese men’s team on Wednesday fought back from the brink of elimination to defeat Denmark in Group C and advance to the quarter-finals of the Thomas Cup, while the women’s team were to face South Korea after press time last night in the Uber Cup quarter-finals in Horsens, Denmark. In the first match, Taiwan’s top shuttler Chou Tien-chen faced a familiar opponent in world No. 3 Anders Antonsen. It was their 16th head-to-head matchup, with the Dane taking his fourth victory in a row against former world No. 2 Chou, winning 21-14, 13-21, 21-15 in 1 hour, 22 minutes. The
Jannik Sinner continued his quest to become the first man in history to win five Masters 1000 tournaments in a row with a 6-2, 6-3 victory over Danish qualifier Elmer Moller at the Madrid Open on Sunday. The world leader extended his winning streak to 19 matches, a run that began early March in Indian Wells, and he has captured 24 consecutive victories at the Masters 1000 level, dating back to the Paris Masters last October. Searching for a maiden title at this level on clay, Sinner advanced to the round of 16 at the Caja Magica with a 77-minute performance against
Tennis players are facing an unexpected opponent at the Madrid Open. A stomach virus or food poisoning has affected Iga Swiatek, Coco Gauff, Marin Cilic and others, raising concerns. World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka avoided an upset by Naomi Osaka on the court on Monday and said she is trying to avoid illness by sticking to a diet of chicken breasts, rice and salad. The rumor among the players was bad shrimp tacos were to blame. Sabalenka knocked on wood for luck and said, “So far, so good. I heard that I have to avoid those tacos,” she laughed, adding “I stick to the
Throwing more than US$5 billion at a divisive new tour and walking away after five seasons does not look like good business, but LIV Golf was not all bad news for Saudi Arabia. Oil-funded LIV, which poached top stars and sent golf’s establishment into a tailspin, helped push the conservative kingdom into global view — one of its key aims, experts said. The exit, confirmed on Thursday after weeks of speculation, does not signal a flight of Saudi money from sport, even after the Middle East war that sparked Iranian attacks around the Gulf, they said. “Saudi Arabia is not
RSS