Oita Trinita celebrate a first ever title

Mon, 03 Nov 2008 02:17:38 +0000

"I let the players down, and I want to apologise to the fans who came all the way out here to see us. I know it's over and done with, and that there's no sense in getting down about this." "But this one hurts, and it's depressing. I can't find the words to describe how badly I feel." Shimizu S-Pulse coach Kenta Hasegawa's sombre quip to The Daily Yomiuri in the wake of his team's 2-0 League Cup final defeat to Oita Trinita on November 1 stood in glaring contrast to the euphoria emanating from the Trinita dressing room. Such is the agony and ecstasy of football, as Oita Trinita were crowned 2008 League Cup champions after a convincing win over their more fancied opponents in front of 44,723 fans at the National Stadium in Tokyo. Both coaches took tactical risks on a sunny afternoon in the Japanese capital, but it was Oita coach Pericles Chamusca's gamble of starting injury-prone club captain Daiki Takamatsu up front that paid off, as Takamatsu responded with the opening goal on sixty-nine minutes. That prompted an immediate change from Hasegawa, who had plumped for youthful exuberance in the form of Keisuke Iwashita and Masaki Yamamoto down his right hand side, only to switch back to experience as Daisuke Ichikawa and Marcos Paulo Alves were introduced as soon as S-Pulse began chasing the game. The change came too late for a nervous-looking Shimizu, and Oita sealed their win when veteran Ueslei produced a cool finish one-on-one with Yamamoto to send the massive contingent of Trinita fans behind the goal wild with delight. Oita coach Chamascu was quick to highlight the historical importance of Oita's win in a post-match statement to The Japan Times. "It is the first title for a Kyushu team ever, and it will have a very big impact not just in Kyushu but across Japan. It should help to improve football everywhere, and it shows that football has already improved in Kyushu." The Brazilian was not the only one celebrating a first ever title for the southern island of Kyushu, with J. League chairman Kenji Onitake delighted with Oita's historic victory. Oita's triumph was Shimizu's tragedy, and the tens of thousands of S-Pulse fans that had made the journey to Kokuritsu trudged downcast through the streets of Sendagaya in the wake of another painful defeat on the national stage. It is almost eight years since Shimizu lifted the Emperor's Cup on New Year's Day in 2001, and the Shizuoka side have now lost twice in succession at the National Stadium after they were losing finalists in the 2005 Emperor's Cup to Urawa Reds. This moment belonged to an Oita side who out-thought and out-fought their opponents on the big stage, however, and few could begrudge the Kyushu side their success on what was an historic day for Japanese football. Copyright © Michael Tuckerman & Soccerphile.com

League Cup final takes centre stage

Fri, 31 Oct 2008 05:10:36 +0000

Around 50,000 fans will descend on the National Stadium in Tokyo on November 1 as Oita Trinita do battle with Shimizu S-Pulse for the 2008 League Cup trophy. Oita Trinita go into the match as rank outsiders, particularly with the Kyushu club missing influential midfielder Shingo Suzuki through suspension. Oita are also missing goalkeeper Shusaku Nishikawa through injury, while his Beijing Olympic team-mate Masato Morishige did not feature in Oita's most recent 1-0 league defeat at Vissel Kobe, although Morishige is expected to take his place in the Oita back three for this hotly anticipated clash. Shimizu S-Pulse are missing playmaker Jungo Fujimoto, who had his leg fractured by an X-rated tackle from Omiya Ardija captain Yoshiyuki Kobayashi when the two sides met at Omiya Park back in July. The Shizuoka side could also be without ex-Bolton Wanderers striker Akinori Nishizawa, with the veteran struggling for weeks to shake off a niggling knock. Nevertheless S-Pulse go into the clash as red-hot favourites, with the Shizuoka side in sparkling form having hammered AFC Champions League finalists Gamba Osaka in the league last time out. The clash also showcases a match-up between two of the most respected young coaches in Japanese football. 43-year old Pericles Chamusca was drafted in as coach of Oita Trinita midway through a difficult 2005 J. League campaign. Since then the Brazilian has steadied the ship at the Kyushu side, and although Oita battled against the drop for much of last season, the southern outfit are now enjoying their best season ever, with Oita currently sitting in fourth place in the J. League with four games remaining and fighting it out for silverware in the League Cup. Shimizu S-Pulse coach Kenta Hasegawa is a more familiar name in Japanese football. The popular 43-year old played more than 200 J. League games for home town club Shimizu S-Pulse and was capped 27 times by Japan. Installed as S-Pulse coach at the start of the 2005 campaign, the former striker has overseen steady improvement in the Shizuoka side - who are battling for their first trophy since lifting the Emperor's Cup in 2001, although S-Pulse also lifted the season-opening Super Cup the following season. Formally known as the Yamazaki Nabisco League Cup, the tournament kicked off with a group stage back in March, and represents the best chance of lifting a trophy for two of the youngest sides in Japanese professional football, with Oita Trinita having been formed in 1994, two years after the formation of Shimizu S-Pulse. The League Cup final also represents something of a coup for Japan's transport companies, with seats on JAL and ANA flights at a premium as around 10,000 Oita fans are expected to make the 900km journey from the southern island of Kyushu to the capital for this clash. Japan Rail will also be working overtime with an estimated 30,000 Shimizu S-Pulse fans set to make the 200km journey up the Pacific coastline, as the grand old venue colloquially known as "Kokuritsu" gets set to host one of the most colourful fixtures on the Japanese football calendar. Copyright © Michael Tuckerman & Soccerphile.com J.League News Tags Bet with Bet 365 World Soccer News Soccer betting tips Soccer Books & DVDs Tags Soccer News soccer football J-League K-League Betting

World Cup Soccer News - oita trinita

Oita Trinita celebrate a first ever title

League Cup final takes centre stage