Shimizu S-Pulse draws with Hiroshima in J1 3rd match, a tough match against a strong opponent.
The Meiji Yasuda J1 League was held on January 26, with Shimizu, returning from J2, and Hiroshima, last season’s second-place finisher, drawing 1-1 in a match of two consecutive wins.
(1) Aistuta -Attendance: 1,2238
Shimizu 2-1 (7) 1 (1-0 0-1) 1 Hiroshima 2-1 (7)
Scorers: OG (Shimizu), Shiotani (Hiroshima) (1)
Shimizu drew with Hiroshima 1-1.
Shimizu was aggressive from the start. In the 12th minute of the first half, Shimizu took the lead from a cross by midfielder Matsuzaki, who picked up a spilled ball and induced an own goal by the opposing player. The visitors had some time to pass the ball around, but their concentrated defending prevented them from creating any decisive chances.
In the second half, the visitors almost scored three times, but could not convert, and in the 20th minute they equalized when a clearance from a penalty kick was punched in. In the final minutes of the game, the visitors came close to scoring again and again, but they were able to hold on.
The visitors were able to hold on to the lead after an own-goal in a head-to-head match. Shimizu drew with Hiroshima, one of the favorites to win the championship, after being overtaken. Akiba said, “We had chances to score the second, third, and fourth goals. If we can be strong in those areas, the quality of our game will be even higher.
Hiroshima has been in good form this season, winning five straight, including the Asian Champions League (ACL). Hiroshima’s coach challenged the visitors to a head-to-head match, saying, “This will be a touchstone match.
Two changes were made to the starting lineup from the previous match, which Hiroshima won 2-0. Matsuzaki, who has been in good form, came in at right back, and Kitazume played at right wing for the first time since last October. The team was deployed as a back five when defending and a back four when attacking, with DF Yamahara taking a high position.
The team’s aggressive defensive awareness from the front line led to the first goal. In the 12th minute of the first half, a shot by midfielder Inui was blocked by the goalkeeper, but Matsuzaki picked up the ball. He dribbled and crossed the ball just short of the goal line, where it touched the goalkeeper, hit an opponent, and was sucked into the goal.
In the end, the team was hurt by the deflection at the start of the second half, but the coach said, “It was fun. However, as the coach reflected, “It was fun. I love this kind of game.” The stadium was abuzz with excitement as the two sides played their characteristic ‘battling’ style.
This was the first time since 2018 that a J1 team had not lost its opening three matches. With an away match against Okayama coming up in three days, the two teams have a good matchup, having won two games last season. With confidence in hand, the team will head to Okayama.