Brazilian forward Erik bagged an early brace to lead Machida Zelvia to a 3-2 win over Yokohama F Marinos as the J-League first division kicked off its one-off "100 Year Vision League" competition Friday.
Japan winger Yuki Soma also found the net before halftime in Yokohama, ensuring visiting Machida's winning start to the tournament, which runs until June and fills the gap in the calendar before the league switches to an August-to-June season later this year.
The 20-team J1 has been split into East and West regions in which clubs meet each other home and away, with penalty shootouts to decide matches that remain a draw after 90 minutes.
The regional round will be followed by teams playing home and away against the club finishing in the corresponding position in the other region to determine the final standings.
Former Marinos player Erik opened the scoring against his old team in the eighth minute at Nissan Stadium, firing from just inside the area after Machida's aggressive pressing yielded a turnover.
Daiya Tono equalized from the penalty spot in the 16th minute, but it took just a minute for Erik to restore the visitors' lead after he intercepted a back-pass intended for Marinos keeper Park Il Gyu, who was substituted for an injury he picked up as the pair collided.
Machida took a 3-1 lead into the break thanks to Soma's stunning free kick from 25 meters in first-half injury time, but Jordy Croux's 67th-minute goal brought Marinos back into the contest and ensured a tense finish.
"I was cheering on my teammates at the end and was really glad we won," said Erik, who headed to the bench in the 77th minute. "I have fond memories of this stadium and it's still a special place for me."
The J-League earlier announced disciplinary action for Machida manager Go Kuroda, issuing a warning over his verbal abuse of players and staff and making him undertake training to avoid a recurrence.
In other J1 action, Vissel Kobe became the first team to win on penalties, beating Kyoto Sanga 4-1 from the spot after they played to a 1-1 draw. Kobe earned two points for the shootout win and Kyoto received one point for the draw.
Sanfrecce Hiroshima were 3-1 winners away to promoted V-Varen Nagasaki at Peace Stadium.
© KYODO
No Comment
Login to comment