Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Tokyo: Goals from Brazilians Jorge Wagner and Leandro Domingues gave J.League champions Kashiwa Reysol a 2-1 victory in the Super Cup over fellow 2012 AFC Champions League outfit FC Tokyo on Saturday.
Kashiwa came under pressure early on, facing the first four shots on goal, but Jorge Wagner (Jorge Wagner Goés Conceição) found the net in the 26th minute against the run of play with a long-range strike.
Leandro (Leandro Domingues Barbosa) doubled the lead with a 43rd minute penalty after FC Tokyo's Masato Morishige pulled Hideaki Kitajima down in the area.
FC Tokyo pulled one back midway through the second half with a close-range header by midfielder Ariajasuru Hasegawa.
Substitute midfielder Naotake Hanyu had a couple of chances to level the match with just over 10 minutes to go only to see one narrowly go wide and the other saved by goalkeeper Takanori Sugeno.
"It was a difficult game. Both teams didn't play their best. We couldn't play our game in the beginning. I'm glad that we won in the end," said Kashiwa's Brazilian coach Nelsinho Baptista (Nélson Baptista Júnior).
He said the team wanted to win all the titles on offer this season.
"The results will follow. I'm very happy to win the Super Cup in the beginning," he added.
Kashiwa launch their AFC Champions League campaign on Wednesday away to Thailand's Buriram United and Nelsinho said the club were gearing up for the challenge.
"Japanese teams haven't won (the Champions League) in recent years. It is a valuable tournament in order to show Japanese football to the world," he said.
"We have been preparing for the tournament... trying to get past the group round."
FC Tokyo are also away when they begin their continental campaign on Tuesday in Australia against A-League champions Brisbane Roar.