Football, Hangover, Kobe and Capsules
Vissel Kobe 2 - Gamba Osaka 1
Two Sundays ago I woke up with a massive hangover. I had slept in a capsule hotel in Osaka and been on two drinking sessions in the previous 24 hours. First at a festival near my house; second in various Osaka izakaya and pool halls. Binge alcohol consumption, sun exposure, dehydration and more powerfully, a lack of rest, combined to leave me feeling decidedly fragile.
Chucked out of my capsule at 10, I stumbled to a nearby Starbucks, ordered a chai latte and collapsed. I tried to nap on the table but it was uncomfortable and noisy. My kidneys and eyes were crying out in dehydrated pain but slowly I began to recover.
After some shopping, pastry eating and mango juice drinking, and a short ride on the Hankyu Osaka became Kobe.
The squad for the game comprised myself, two other Englishmen, a Catalan and an American. We headed first to a Chilean restaurant. There were pictures of Pele and General Augusto Pinochet on the walls and an Ivan Zomorano Real Madrid top. We ate meat pies and I braved a beer. There were no adverse effects.
Kobe Homes Stadium was called The Wings before its current sponsored status. It is architecturally impressive, an innovative, futuristic design, surrounding a pitch that saw action during the 2002 World Cup.
In England it is a rarity to be in the ground 10 minutes before kickoff. We arrived a good 45 minutes early to find a stand full to capacity. There was nowhere to stand but the periphery. Unlike many modern stadia, Kobe maintains an element of individuality.
The game itself was a drab affair. Gamba were pretty on the ball, but wasteful in possession, and woeful in defence. Vissel were more direct, forceful in their running and successfully upped the tempo whenever they had the ball. Targeting the space between the Gamba centre backs, feeding Japan striker Yoshito Okubo they caused panic.
Both Kobe goals could have been prevented. While Gamba looked the superior technicians and had the games best players in Yasuhito Endo and Michihiro Yasuda, they were outfought. Kobe rightfully won this game. If Gamba want to improve on last years third place finish they will have to toughen up.
