The first match of the Reiwa Era for Shonan Bellmare and Nagoya Grampus did indeed feature “beautiful harmony” of a sort, with the two teams sharing a 1-1 result on Saturday after 90 minutes of spirited attacking on both ends at BMW Stadium.
A fast-moving storm lit up the skies east of the stadium with flashes of lightning beginning an hour before kickoff, dousing the sold-out crowd of 14,221 with occasional rain during the first half and giving the pitch an extra bit of speed.
The prolific Kosuke Taketomi nearly turned Mitsuki Saito’s cross into the opening goal in the 15th minute, but sent a close-range shot far over the crossbar to the relief of Grampus ‘keeper Mitch Langerak.