It didn’t take long for reigning J. League first-division champion Kawasaki to pick up exactly where they left off after last year’s record-breaking season.
Former J1 MVP Akihiro Ienaga scored the first goal of the campaign through a split-second volley — and the second with his head, shortly before halftime — as Frontale dominated Kanagawa Derby rival Yokohama F. Marinos on the way to a 2-0 win on Friday night in the league’s opening game.
“This wasn’t a good game. We couldn't play our football and we were totally dominated by a much better team,” Marinos manager Ange Postecoglou said after the match. “We can’t play like that, we can’t play with that mentality and be successful.