Okinawa beat Kitakyushu 2-1 in the first round of the Emperor's Cup on Tuesday evening. The visitors came from behind to claim a narrow victory in Kitakyushu. K. Takahashi had given the hosts an early lead before Okinawa turned the match around.
Takahashi fired home for Kitakyushu in the 40th minute and it looked as though the hosts were setting up for a comfortable night. By then Okinawa had been chasing the game for half an hour. And here's the thing — you could see the shift in their shape almost immediately.
The equaliser came in the 50th minute, a moment that changed everything. Okinawa worked a short corner and pressed forward with more purpose. Kitakyushu were reduced to ten men shortly after, though the exact minute escapes me. They never quite recovered their footing.
The winner arrived in the 93rd minute to send the visitors through. Okinawa had hit the woodwork earlier and finally ran riot when it mattered. Kitakyushu had their chances but could not afford another slip. The clean-sheet run came to an end for the hosts.
Okinawa dominated possession at 58 per cent and registered four shots on target to Kitakyushu's two. The visitors also had seven shots off target while the hosts managed just one. To be fair, Kitakyushu were reduced to ten men and that made a difference.
The result ends Kitakyushu's recent run of mixed results, which included a heavy 1-5 defeat to Kagoshima United in May. Okinawa's own form has been poor of late, with losses to Kyoto Sanga and Mie Zeama among their last five outings. This win at least gives them something to build on.