Vissel Kobe was crowned champions of the J.League first time in club history after beating Nagoya Grampus, scoring 2-1 in the J.League 2023 at Noevir Stadium, Kobe.
Kobe entered the match with high motivation, with a clear goal of winning the championship if they won. First, in the 12th minute of the first half, from a throw-in, forward Yuya Osako used a post play to send a floating ball behind the defenders, and midfielder Haruya Ide hit the right post with a successful shot to take the lead.
Furthermore, in the 14th minute of the first half, midfielder Daiki Sasaki changed sides and Osako entered the area, missed the defender and crossed. Midfielder Yoshinori Muto connected with his right foot in front of the goal , giving them a two-point lead in an instant.
However, Nagoya cannot afford to lose easily. As early as the 23rd minute of the first half, midfielder Tsukasa Morishima was introduced in place of midfielder Tojiro Kubo . Showing an active substitution plan, in the 30th minute, defender Yoya Fujii headed a clear ball from goalkeeper Mayuya Maekawa back, which turned into a through ball behind the defender, and finally forward Casper Junker hit with a long leg. Stretched out and pushed the counterattack goal.
Kobe had a chance in the 29th minute of the first half when Sasaki stole the ball from defender Shinnosuke Nakatani and missed the one-on-one with the goalkeeper, giving Nagoya a boost. However, in the 42nd minute of the first half , Juncker was caught by midfielder Ryuya Morishita ‘s last pass, but defender Satoshi Yamakawa blocked it on the line. In the 43rd minute, Nakatani’s header met midfielder Ryuji Izumi ‘s right cross, but it just missed the left side of the frame.
Kobe entered the second half with a one-point lead, and in the fifth minute of the second half, forward Jean Patrick was brought on in place of Sasaki. Then, in the 58th minute, when Yamaguchi appeared in place of Ide, the cheering fans in Kobe became excited as if they had returned to life. On the other hand, Nagoya sent forward Naoki Maeda and Riku Yamada in the 66th minute, aiming for an equaliser.
After that, both teams had chances. In the 68th minute, Kobe’s Hatsuse raised a free cross on the right side, and Osako took aim with his right foot from chest control, but the shot missed the target. Nagoya in the 76th minute. Maeda met the cross directly from midfielder Kensuke Nagai, who had gone behind the field on the left side, but the shot mercilessly hit the crossbar.
In the end, Kobe maintained the lead they had taken in the first half and won 2-1. They were filled with joy at winning their first victory at home.
Credit Photo : J.League
