Avispa Fukuoka won the first major title in their club history on Saturday by beating Urawa Reds 2-1 in the J-League Cup final.
Attacker Kazuya Konno was the architect of both their goals as first-half strikes from midfielder Hiroyuki Mae and defender Daiki Miya handed Fukuoka a monumental win in front of a sold-out crowd of 61,683 at Tokyo's National Stadium.
Urawa, who bagged the Asian Champions League earlier this year, halved the deficit through Takahiro Akimoto in the second half but that was as good as it got for the two-time J-League Cup winners.
"We've been blessed with the teammates and supporters we have. All the hard work really pays off when we get to savor moments like this," Fukuoka captain and defender Tatsuki Nara said.
"We aren't the best side in terms of technique or brilliance, but we all put our bodies on the line and really managed to show what Avispa are all about until the last moment."
Fukuoka showed no early nerves on the big occasion as they took the lead just five minutes in when Konno skipped past Urawa left-back Takuya Ogiwara inside the box and put in a low cross that was finished off by Mae at the far post.
Urawa dominated possession but Ken Iwao's long-range effort in the 35th minute was their first real attempt on goal. Miya had two strong headers on target at the other end late in the half, the first saved on the line by Shusaku Nishikawa from a free kick before the Urawa keeper gathered the second off a corner.
But Miya made it count in the fourth minute of added time after Konno, staying on the left after taking a corner, created space to send in a low cross through the legs of a defender. Miya connected first time with his left foot, the ball finding the net through the legs of a second Urawa player.
Manager Shigetoshi Hasebe's men came out sharper after the break and could have had a third when Brazilian defender Douglas Grolli was brought down by Norwegian defender Marius Hoibraten inside the box, but forward Yuya Yamagishi's tame 58th-minute penalty was easily saved by Nishikawa.
There was a strong penalty shout a minute later at the other end when Urawa's Japan midfielder Atsuki Ito was toppled by Avispa defender Yota Maejima, only for the referee to wave play on.
Substitute Akimoto eventually gave Urawa a lifeline in the 67th minute after six minutes on the pitch, controlling captain Hiroki Sakai's cross at the far post with his chest before drilling low into the opposite corner.
Konno was stretchered off in the 72nd minute as Urawa began piling on more pressure with Guinea forward Jose Kante's shot from outside the box drawing a diving save from Fukuoka keeper Takumi Nagaishi.
Eight minutes were added on at the end of the second half and Urawa came within centimeters of taking the match into extra time. But Kante's low drive struck the left post as Fukuoka hung on to secure a historic win.
"We're finally going to get a star on our shirt," said Mae, who won the man-of-the-match award. "We could hear the cheers from our fans, even from those who could not make it here today. We hope to keep going down this path."
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