(Reuters) – Vissel Kobe achieved a historic victory on Saturday by winning the J.League title for the first time in the club’s history, with a 2-1 victory over Nagoya Grampus. In the final game of the season, the win at Kobe Stadium put Vissel four points clear of last year’s champions Yokohama F Marinos, who were held to a 0-0 draw by Albirex Niigata on Friday.
The two decisive goals came in the first half. Haruya Ide and Yoshinori Muto scored in the 12th and 14th minutes, respectively, giving Kobe a comfortable lead. Kasper Junker managed to pull one back for Nagoya just after the half-hour mark.
Victory for Kobe would secure the club’s first title in the J.League’s 30-year history. Ide put his side in front when he converted Yuya Osako’s through ball, while Muto doubled the lead two minutes later by scoring from six yards out.
Despite having the chance to add a third, Kobe did not capitalize, and Junker reduced Nagoya’s deficit. Nagoya then pushed for an equalizer, causing several nervous moments for the hosts. Naoki Maeda came close to leveling the scores, hitting the crossbar from close range with 14 minutes remaining.
The win meant that Kobe held on to seal the title, denying Nagoya the opportunity to keep alive their hopes of a top-three finish and a place in next year’s Asian Champions League.
(Reporting by Michael Church, Editing by Jacqueline Wong)
