The 13,318 fans in attendance at the Emperor’s Cup final between Kawasaki Frontale and Gamba Osaka on New Year’s Day witnessed a cagey affair between two teams pushed to the limit over the course of the pandemic-plagued 2020 J. League season.
The 4,208 fans watching the same two teams at Saturday’s Fuji Xerox Super Cup received a bit more bang for their buck.
Frontale’s Yu Kobayashi scored the 3-2 winner on the last play of the game, salvaging a match that seemed destined for penalty kicks after the reigning J. League champion wasted Kaoru Mitoma’s first-half brace to see Gamba claw back into the game on an unseasonably warm afternoon at Saitama Stadium.