J. League champions Kashima Antlers carried home the first silverware of the 2010 season after beating Emperor’s Cup winners Gamba Osaka on penalties in the Fuji Xerox Super Cup on Saturday afternoon.
Following a 1-1 draw after 90 minutes, the pivotal moment of the season-opening showpiece ultimately came when midfielder Yasuhito Endo scooped a dreadful penalty high over the crossbar with Gamba’s first attempt of the shootout. The miss drew audible shock from the 34,634-strong crowd - Endo is a regular penalty taker for club and country and had only missed four times in 13 years - and with no further unsuccessful kicks throughout, Brazilian striker Marquinhos stepped up to fire home Kashima’s fifth penalty and secure a 5-3 shootout victory.
The dramatic conclusion to the fixture provided a fitting symmetry, as Kashima had initially taken the lead midway through the first half through another well-placed spot kick from Marquinhos, after Gamba rookie Shunya Suganuma was adjudged to have pulled down Daiki Iwamasa. The champions looked good value for their lead but were eventually pegged back just before the interval when right back Akira Kaji’s shot deflected off the head of Mitsuo Ogasawara and into the Antlers net to level the scores.
The win crowned off a fine week for Oswaldo de Oliveira’s side, after Koji Nakata’s 42nd-minute header had been enough to see off Chinese outfit Changchun Yatai in the first round of AFC Champions League group matches on Tuesday evening. Kashima sit second in Group F behind Korean champions Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors, who won 4-1 away to Indonesian minnows Persipura Jayapura.
Gamba managed a useful goalless draw away to Samsung Suwon Bluewings in what looks likely to be their toughest challenge of the opening phase, but there was bad news for the competition’s two other J. League representatives. Kawasaki Frontale went down to a 2-0 loss at K-League side Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma, while Sanfrecce Hiroshima’s first appearance on the Asian stage ended with a 1-0 home defeat to Shandong Luneng of China.
Fuji Xerox Super Cup result
Kashima Antlers 1-1 Gamba Osaka (after 90 minutes; Kashima win 5-3 on penalties)
AFC Champions League results (Eastern section, matchday 1)
Group E
Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma 2-0 Kawasaki Frontale
Beijing Guoan 1-0 Melbourne Victory
Group F
Persipura Jayapura 1-4 Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors
Kashima Antlers 1-0 Changchun Yatai
Group G
Samsung Suwon Bluewings 0-0 Gamba Osaka
Henan Construction 0-0 Singapore Armed Forces
Group H
Sanfrecce Hiroshima 0-1 Shandong Luneng
Adelaide United 1-0 Pohang Steelers
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