Kashima Antlers Take Japanese Double

Sanfrecce Hiroshima, who fell to Division 2 at the end of the J-League relegation playoff, saw their miracle Emperor’s Cup run stopped on New Year’s Day, when they lost a dreary final to three-time Cup winners Kashima Antlers. 19-year-old defender Atsuto Uchida put Kashima ahead in just the sixth minute and, apart from a hopeful effort from Koji Morisaki, Sanfrecce never really threatened; by the time Danilo doubled the Kashima lead late in injury time, their victory had long been a foregone conclusion.

The Emperor’s Cup is the oldest football competition in Japan, having been founded way back in 1921, over 40 years before football was even professional there. In its early days, the tournament was open to teams from Korean and Taiwan as well as Japan; the modern version is limited to Japanese teams, but includes those from J-League all the way down to the top high school teams in the country, which is unbelievably cool.

This the second double (to go with their one treble) for Kashima, the most successful team in the J-League’s short history; they won their fifth league title on the final day of the season when Urawa Reds collapsed in spectacular fashion.

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Category: Asia, World Football