April 3, 2022.
Sunday saw first-place Fukushima United face off against second-place AC Nagano Parceiro.
It was an overcast day in Fukushima, but it didn’t take long for the home team to give the fans something to cheer for.
“Oh No!” My 6-year-old yelled at the TV ten minutes into the game when Takahashi Junya found the back of the net on a cross pass 11 minutes into the game.
The rest of the first half didn’t look very promising for Nagano. Nagano won some duels and earned a handful of corner kicks, but didn’t look very threatening. Fukushima United, on the other hand, looked to be defending tightly and creating better chances.
In the second half, there was more of the same. Nagano took some shots but didn’t really threaten. Fukushima earned some free kicks, but couldn’t put the game away.
It was looking like the game would end in Nagano’s first defeat of the season. The reserve players didn’t seem to provide much of a spark as they had in recent weeks.
In the last 10 minutes, Nagano started really pushing to get a goal. After one agonizingly close chance with about five minutes left to go, defeat seemed certain. But in soccer, perhaps more so than one sport, one individual effort can be the difference between heartbreak and celebration.
It took almost an entire game, but in the 90th minute, mid-fielder Yoshioka Keita received a ball in a crowded penalty box and managed a spinning sweeping kick that found its way into the corner of the goal sending Parceiro fans into a frenzy, and tying the score at 1-1.
After surviving a pile on by his teammates, Yoshioka grabbed the crest on his jersey and ran to the sidelines. Fukushima United looked determined to score during the four minutes of additional time, but it was not to be. Not all draws are created equal. In today’s game, Fukushima United experienced a draw that felt like a loss. While Nagano fans and players looked loose and joyous at the result. Fukushima United remains atop the J3 Ladder with 9 points. Despite the feel-good finish AC Nagano Parceiro actually dropped a spot into 3rd place right under cross-prefecture rivals Matsumoto Yamaga.
AC Nagano Parceiro returns home to U-Stadium next week on April 10th. They look to keep their undefeated streak alive vs. Iwaki FC, the new team of former Parceiro goalkeeper Tanaka Kengo.
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