Match Report
On paper the standings were lopsided — Shimizu S-Pulse 14th with 44 points, Albirex Niigata 20th with 24, 20 apart. Shimizu S-Pulse ranked just 19th in the league on five-round form despite their 14th table position. Against a league average of 1.2 goals per team per game, Albirex Niigata ran at 0.95 scored and 1.76 conceded, Shimizu S-Pulse at 1.08 and 1.34.
10 games without a win framed Albirex Niigata's arrival. Shimizu S-Pulse's winless run stood at 5.
GioScore's database holds 6 meetings between the two: 5 for Albirex Niigata, 1 for Shimizu S-Pulse and 0 drawn, at 3.33 goals per meeting. Playing at home matters in this fixture: 83% of the meetings went to the host. Goals tend to flow: 67% of the meetings produced three or more.
Denka Big Swan Stadium in Niigata, capacity 42,300, hosted the game. On the scoreboard, Shimizu S-Pulse led 1-0 at the break, and no goals arrived after the restart: 0-1 the final score.
Goal scorers
Shimizu S-Pulse: Toshiki Takahashi (16')