Nara Club — Osaka: 1:4, Emperor’s Cup

Emperor's Cup: Nara 1–4 Osaka

Osaka made light work of Nara in the first round of the Emperor's Cup, running out comfortable winners at the weekend. The visitors were never really under pressure, though they did come close to extending their lead when a goal at the fifth attempt went in off something and counted.

K. Takabatake opened the scoring at the twenty-second minute, finishing from a tight angle after a quick break. S. Tachino doubled the advantage before half-time, the forty-second mark, and then Vinicius Souza made it three at the hour. By then the game was effectively over.

Osaka added two more in quick succession. Vinicius Souza ended his barren spell at sixty-eight, and S. Nagano sealed it at seventy-four. There was another goal at seventy-five, though the scorer was not listed in the match report. The hosts' only reply came earlier, but the damage was done.

And here's the thing about the statistics. Osaka had more attacks, more corners, and more shots on target, but possession was nearly fifty-fifty. Nara managed 72 attacks to 83, with four shots on target against eight. The visitors did not travel to make up the numbers.

Both sides picked up one yellow card each, and there were no reds to complicate matters. Nara have lost ground in their recent form, while Osaka were already on a run before this one. The gap between the sides was visible from the first whistle.