One week after being on the losing end of a dramatic cup final, Sanfrecce Hiroshima had their chance to step onto the champion’s podium rather than watch from the sideline.
A pair of late second-half goals by Cypriot striker Pieros Sotiriou — one from the penalty spot and the other from a well-placed Makoto Mitsuta corner kick in the 11th minute of stoppage time — saw Sanfrecce past Cerezo Osaka 2-1 in Saturday’s J. League YBC Levain Cup final at the National Stadium in Tokyo.
It was the perfect chaser to the bitter shot Hiroshima drank last Sunday when it lost to second-division Ventforet Kofu in the final of the Emperor’s Cup after a tense penalty shootout.