J.League Cup Semi-final First Half: Kotaro Taniguchi Scores, Shusuke Oota Contributes, Albirex Niigata Temporarily Leads Kawasaki Frontale

At 18:00 on October 9th, the first leg of the J.League Cup semi-final saw Albirex Niigata host Kawasaki Frontale at their home ground.

Key Events

In the 6th minute, Sasaki Akira was suspected of a handball in the penalty area, but after consulting with VAR, the referee indicated no penalty.

In the 25th minute, Yoji Ono sent a cross from the right flank, and Haidar’s header clearance did not go far. Kotaro Taniguchi followed up to score from close range, making it 1-0 for Albirex Niigata against Kawasaki Frontale!

In the 45th minute, Haidar failed to hold his position on the right flank, allowing Shusuke Oota to score from a tight angle, extending Albirex Niigata’s lead to 2-0 against Kawasaki Frontale!

First Half Summary

In the 3rd minute, Ryui Yamaguchi made an error in coming out, and Yoji Ono attempted an overhead kick which missed the target, and Albirex Niigata missed a great opportunity!

In the 19th minute, Yoji Ono cut inside from the left flank and took a shot, but Yamaguchi made a diving save.

In the 29th minute, Marcinho played a pass from the left flank, and Taisuke Watanabe’s long-range shot went over the crossbar.

In the 37th minute, Daiki Tono’s long-range shot from outside the penalty area missed the target.

In the 40th minute, Yusuke Hoshi took a sudden shot from outside the penalty area, and Yamaguchi collected the ball.

Player Lineups

Albirex Niigata Starting XI: 99-Yoji Ono; 5-Fitzgerald; 21-Kaito Abe; 19-Yusuke Hoshi; 11-Shusuke Oota; 25-Sousuke Fujihara; 7-Kotaro Taniguchi; 6-Yuki Akiyama; 42-Kenji Hashimoto; 14-Motohide Hasegawa; 45-Hayato Inamura;

Substitutes: 35-Kazuhiko Chiba; 31-Yuto Horibe; 32-Takumi Hasegawa; 23-Daisuke Yoshiman; 17-Danilo; 16-Yuta Komi; 27-Tatsuki Nagakura; 8-Hideharu Miyamoto; 30-Jin Okamura;

Kawasaki Frontale Starting XI: 31-Van Weermeerschken; 98-Ryui Yamaguchi; 23-Marcinho; 14-Taisuke Watanabe; 44-Haidar; 17-Daiki Tono; 19-So Harada; 9-Ellison; 8-Kento Tachibana; 5-Akira Sasaki; 13-Sota Miura;

Substitutes: 41-Akio Tokunaga; 11-Yu Kobayashi; 35-Yuji Maruyama; 30-Yusuke Segawa; 77-Yuki Yamamoto; 15-Shuto Takeda; 22-Yuki Hayasaka; 26-Hiyori Yamauchi; 20-Shin Yamada;