HIRATSUKA, KANAGAWA PREF. ¨C The first match of the Reiwa Era for Shonan Bellmare and Nagoya Grampus did indeed feature ¡°beautiful harmony¡± of a sort, with the two teams sharing a 1-1 result on Saturday after 90 minutes of spirited attacking on both ends at BMW Stadium.
A fast-moving storm lit up the skies east of the stadium with flashes of lightning beginning an hour before kickoff, dousing the sold-out crowd of 14,221 with occasional rain during the first half and giving the pitch an extra bit of speed.
The prolific Kosuke Taketomi nearly turned Mitsuki Saito¡¯s cross into the opening goal in the 15th minute, but sent a close-range shot far over the crossbar to the relief of Grampus ¡®keeper Mitch Langerak.
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