Defending J.League 1 champions Kawasaki Frontale lost their 100% start to the season as Vissel Kobe managed to plunder a very late equalizer at Misaki Park Stadium, with the two sides playing out a 1-1 draw in their 2021 J1 Matchweek 5 encounter on Wednesday. Ryuho Kikuchi’s equalizer ten minutes into injury time ensured that Kawasaki’s 5-match winning run came into a crashing halt in Hyogo Prefecture, however Toru Oniki’s men will find solace that they had extended their unbeaten run to six matches.
With four wins from their four previous matchweeks as well as a win from a rescheduled match underneath their belt, Kawasaki came to Kobe with only one thing in mind – making mincemeat out of the hosts for a 6th consecutive win. However, what was supposed to be a routine win for the visitors ended in a frustrating draw after Kawasaki, having opened the scoring deep into the second half, ended up being pegged back by the hosts with literally the last kick of the game.
Both teams had scoring opportunities at both ends, however both Kawasaki and Vissel were wasteful in their chances, with shot after shot going off-target. Kawasaki managed to breach through Daiya Maekawa’s goal in the 53rd minute through a Leandro Damiao header, however it was ruled out after a review from the video assistant referee (VAR), who judged that Akihiro Ienaga was offside when he swung in the cross that was headed by Damiao into Maekawa’s goal.
Damiao then tested Maekawa again in the 58th minute, only to have his shot being deflected away by the goalkeeper’s body. However, the Brazilian would soon get one over the 26-year old goalkeeper in the 72nd minute, when Maekawa foolishly went out of his post to clear the ball away from Vissel’s half. Maekawa’s clearance was intercepted by Shogo Taniguchi within the Kawasaki half, who passed it long towards Damiao. With Maekawa still on his way back to his post, Damiao launched an absolute screamer from near the center circle, with the ball outpacing Maekawa and bouncing its way into the empty goal.
The lengthy injury time given by the referee due to the earlier VAR check gave Vissel the lifeline they needed to chase the game. Kyogo Furuhashi and substitute Daiju Sasaki combined well to test Kawasaki goalie Jung Sung-ryong in the first minute of injury time, with Furuhashi intercepting a Taniguchi pass before laying the ball off towards Sasaki, who saw his shot being saved by Jung.
However, Jung’s resilience was broken in the dying minutes of the game, when another Vissel substitute, Ryo Hatsuse, managed to send a brilliant cross into the Kawasaki penalty box. An unmarked Kikuchi charged forward and met the ball with a powerful header, much to the dismay of Taniguchi who went in a second too late to stop the Vissel defender from executing his header. The ball bounced off the ground and despite Jung diving towards the right direction, he was a split second too late as the ball went into the bottom left corner of his goal, ensuring that both Vissel and Kawasaki will be sharing the points at the end of the game.
Wednesday’s other Matchweek 5 action saw late goals ensuring 1-0 home wins for Avispa Fukuoka and Cerezo Osaka over Kashima Antlers and Oita Trinita respectively, while Sagan Tosu continued their bright start to the season with a 2-0 win over Kashiwa Reysol at the Ekimae Real Estate Stadium. A ruthless Nagoya Grampus crushed bottom side Yokohama FC 3-0 at the Toyota Stadium, while Yokohama F. Marinos eked out a 1-0 win over Tokushima Vortis at the Nissan Stadium with Daizen Maeda once again making his way into the scoresheet.
FC Tokyo edged out Shonan Bellmare 3-2 at the Ajinomoto Stadium while Sanfrecce Hiroshima saw off Shimizu S-Pulse with a 1-0 win at the Hiroshima Big Arch, while last but not least both Urawa Red Diamonds and Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo share the points in a 0-0 stalemate at the Saitama Stadium 2002.
Vegalta Sendai had the entire Matchweek 5 off as Gamba Osaka’s COVID-19 situation meant that the Miyagi Prefecture side’s meeting with the men from Suita was postponed.