Less than 10 minutes after Ventforet Kofu substitute Hideomi Yamamoto nearly cost his club a chance at its first-ever major trophy, he redeemed himself in the most stunning of fashions.
The 42-year-old defender — a member of the club since 2003 — kicked the decisive fifth shootout goal for Kofu as it claimed the Emperor’s Cup over the J. League first division’s Sanfrecce Hiroshima on Sunday, giving fans at Nissan Stadium in Yokohama a thrilling conclusion to one of the most dramatic finals in the tournament’s 101-year history.
An Emperor’s Cup that had no shortage of “giant killings” in its later rounds saved perhaps its most historic upset for the final day, with Kofu becoming the first J2 team to topple J1 opposition with the trophy on the line — denying Sanfrecce the opportunity to win the tournament as a professional club for the first time after claiming three trophies as Toyo Industries in 1965, ’67 and ’69.