Match Review: FC Nippon vs Singapore Vikings FC

• -- Minato HORIUCHI
• -- Takuya ASUKABE
• -- Yoshiaki MOTOHASHI
• -- Ryo SUZUKI
• -- Takuya TAKAHASHI
• -- Koji NISHINA
• -- Ryosuke SHIMADA
• -- Tetsu KAKIMOTO
• -- Makito NAKATA
• -- Takao NAKASUJI
• -- Wataru HASEGAWA

• -- Shoma HIRATO
• -- Yusuke KANEKO
• -- Akou TAKASAKI
• -- Seiji DAIKUHARA

Unexpected result against top stream team

Our motivation was not so high facing the team from high above. Vikings squads were not really aggressive at the beginning. After Nippon’s opening goal, they started up and got equalizer. They dominated the game but our Aflo-Japanese FW stood against them and obtained winner. 09: Viking had the first change. Viking FW exchanged short passes left Nippon DF behind. But the shot was not good enough. 20: Left defender Nakata was a kind of Joker for opponent. His dribbling and middle range shots were giving upset to Vikings. His 40m moving shot in 32 minutes were toward the top corner of the goal. Viking GK could punched out but was great shot. 30: Vikings Mfs are not really awake or they were waiting our mistakes. 38: FW Koji kept the ball and passed to Minato. Minato’s shot was not perfect shot but good enough to lose GK’s timing. The grounder shot went into thin space between GK’s hand and post. (1-0) 45: Vikings ignited. They dominated the game. Our defenders struggled. 68: Vikings equalized. (1-1) 70: Super sub Takasaki dribbled in creative way. He left two defender behind and obtained winner. 71: Kaki had 1-1 situation against GK, but his shot was not to the goal. 85: Vikings fatigued. Nippon’s fresh and motivated substitutes did well to keep our possession.

• Tomas Dubsky MD
• Jonas Groenbech --
• Thomas Elbo Andersen --
• Brian Spietkitz --
• Christian Laurenborg --
• Peter Boe --
• Eu-Jin Lim --
• Jesper Meincke Nielsen --
• Thomas Sorensen --
• Andreas Hoffmann --
• Leslie Andersen --

• Alexander Broun --
• Karl Martin Nygaard --
• Nicolai Sunekaer --
• Hotan Matthews --

Goal gone missing

VIkings lined up with a strong squad and were confident in adding another three points in the chase for glory at the top of table, and our 3-5-2 did seem to find the right balance and we started well dominating the possession while NIPPON looked strong on the counter Attack. Vikings felt they should have taken the league but with both US and Panda guilty of missing sitters , it was Nippon who took the lead on a counter Attack where a clever finish from the edge of the box found the Viking keeper on the wrong foot. Half time talk and stand in coaches Domino and Rafa kept stressing the importance of playingn ball and keeping possession and viking did make it back in the game after a well constructed team goal and an even better finish from Tomas. Everyone felt it, it would be all vikings from this point on - but the Nippon substitute striker had other ideas, and while VIkings defense did look rather heavy on the occasion - we have to give credit for an amazing goal. Last 25 minutes and the Vikings queued up to miss chances and rather than going through the list of chances, we would rather say that it wasn't be. While our japanese friends do deserve a win in the league after a lot close matches, it was a shame that it happened against us - and we would like to see them wanting to play some more ball as 60 minutes of time wasting felt a bit overkill . Ref overall had a good game, while vikings did feel the time wasting should have been punished as it gave our opponents respite when under heavy pressure. All the best Nippon going forward ! Vikings will face st Andrews Saturday before the TOP clash with TGA Rangers on Friday the 3rd