Kashiwa Reysol may have missed out on Asian Champions League glory this season, but on-loan striker Cleo is confident of redemption in Saturday's Nabisco Cup final against Urawa Reds.
Kashiwa takes on Urawa at National Stadium looking to salvage something from a season that began with hopes of becoming Japan's first continental club champion since 2008, only to fall apart in the semifinals with an 8-1 aggregate defeat to Cleo's Chinese parent club, Guangzhou Evergrande.
But while ACL success may have been Kashiwa's prime objective, the Chiba side has been careful not to put all its eggs in one basket. The Nabisco Cup final offers Cleo the chance to win his first trophy since joining Reysol at the start of the season, and the globe-trotting Brazilian insists last weekend's 2-1 loss to Urawa in the J. League will count for nothing when the teams line up on Saturday.