If ever there was a cup hero for Shimizu S-Pulse it was Shohei Ikeda. Ikeda scored the winning goal for Shimizu in the Asian Cup Winners Cup two years ago and repeated that feat by slotting home the penalty that clinched the 2002 Xerox Super Cup at Tokyo National Stadium on Saturday.
However, substitute and teammate Takayuki Yokoyama may argue with this judgment, as he was the one who scored a dramatic equalizer deep into injury time to earn his team the right to contest the penalty shootout, which Shimizu won 5-4.
Kashima Antlers can take consolation in the fact that in last year's Xerox Cup -- that sees the winner of the J. League take on the winner of the Emperor's Cup -- they were on the receiving of a hiding from Shimizu, yet went on to win the J. League Championship.