The final and the third-place play-off of the PUMA CUP 2015, the 20th All Japan Futsal Championship, were held on Sunday 15 March, in order to decide the 20th champion. Nagoya Oceans beat Deucao Kobe and became the champion for the third time in a row.

Both of the teams gave the final their all. Although Nagoya kept possession, taking the initiative from the beginning, Kobe defended solidly, not letting in any goals. Just as Suzumura Takuya had commented the day before, Kobe played 'as a challenger' against the defending champion in two consecutive championships and rivalled them more directly, showing tense attack and defence. Nagoya initiated counter-attacks from the wings with individual skills, but they could not find the back of the net until half time.

After 30 minutes, the game came alive. Serginho dribbled up through the right side and struck a shot from a tight angle, only for it to be deflected by a defender into the goal. Kobe reacted swiftly to attack back. Right after that, YAMAMOTO Masanori on the right wing levelled the game. As it was the sixth game for Kobe from the first round, OGAWA Ryo, the head coach, commented: 'we decided to play with spirit, not to mention stamina and skill.' They showed how united they were, including the players on the bench.

However, the deciding goal came in the 36th minute. MORIOKA Kaoru of Nagoya started the attack on the left wing, and struck a superb long-distance shot, getting through the defenders. Although Kobe defended Morioka's attack numerous times, they finally conceded a goal. Kobe never gave up. Shortly after that, WATAI Hiroyuki replaced the goalkeeper and they threw everything into attack to close the gap. But they were unsuccessful. After 38 minutes, Morioka and Rafael Sakai played harmoniously and sank another shot, deciding the game. The match, watched by a full house, ended. Nagoya Oceans won the match 3-1, winning their third championships in a row and also winning their fourth title this season for the first time.

Prior to the final, the third-place play-off between Pescadola Machida and Bardral Urayasu was held. Machida took the initiative from the start, keeping the lead until the last whistle. Machida won the game 4-1. The same two teams played the third-place play-off in the previous championship. So Machida avenged their defeat from last year.

This year's championship with many exciting matches ended with Nagoya's third victory. Victor Acosta Garcia, the head coach, noted with pleasure: ‘I’d like to thank all the players, who played well through the season.' Morioka was awarded Most Improved Player, showing the depth of Nagoya's strength.

Head Coach and Players'Comments

MORIOKA Kaoru (Nagoya Oceans)
It felt like a long season, but I'm pleased we won four titles in the end. Personally, earning awards, such as the league MVP and the MIP in this championship gave me some confidence. I'd like to show what I learned in the next season as well. I'll keep putting in a youthful performance and think about how to develop futsal even more, playing just like today. As I aim to play in the 2016 FIFA Futsal World Cup, I'll do my best for Japan's futsal, while getting good results for my club team.

OGAWA Ryo, Head Coach (DEUCAO KOBE)
We really wanted to win the match, as we'd come this far to the final. Regardless of the opponent, we got to the semi-final for our first time and just wanted to achieve something new - to win the championship. We expected to be pressed most of the time in the game. So I'd like to point out that the players stayed very patient. Having said that, if we had finished our limited goal-scoring opportunities with shots, we could have rattled the opponent a bit more. It was a great opportunity for us to gain excellent experience and now we have our new aim to get a better result in the big championship. We'd like to play here again.

NISHITANI Ryosuke (DEUCAO KOBE)
I'm gutted, as I really wanted to leave our names etched in our club's history and on the PUMA CUP. We did have our goal-scoring opportunities and played our style both in attacking and defending. I'm proud of our bench, who stayed positive for six matches from the first round. I also appreciate all the supporters, who encouraged us in the game. So I feel sorry that we couldn’t bring them good news. As we have set our new goal in this championship, we'd like to refresh ourselves to go to the next stage.

OKAYAMA Kosuke, Head Coach (PESCADOLA MACHIDA)
We've become tougher through difficult times in the league and showed our strength in the third-place play-off. Although we couldn't win the championship as we aimed to, the players refreshed their minds to do their best, not only for themselves, but also for the supporters. As OHCHI Satoru and HASHIMOTO Keigo will be retiring after this championship and as we decided to finish with a victory after a tough season, I'm pleased that we won the game. I'd like to continue this in the next season.

JFA-TV

PUMA CUP 2015 The 20th All Japan Futsal Championship

Fri. 6 March - Sun. 15 March 2015
1st Round：Shizuoka/Ecopa Arena、Osaka/Maishima Arena、Hyogo/Kobe Central Gymnasium
Final Round：Tokyo/Japan Yoyogi first National Gymnasium
Live distribution of quarter-finals, semi-finals, final on JFA-TV(subject to change)

Click here for live distribution

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