Vissel began this game hoping for another win for interim coach Adachi before he handed over the reins to incoming coach Akira Nishino and they almost got off to a dream start when a Yoshida cross was totally missed by Aoyama, leaving Nozawa free to shoot but his attempt was straight at the keeper. But it was the home team that took the lead in the 12th minute when a corner went straight through to Mizumoto, who half volleyed it home, totally unmarked from a few yards out.
Chiba almost made it 2-0 from another corner when his header struck the post, but the score remained 1-0 at half time and Vjssel turned the game around in a few short minutes through a Nozawa inswinging free kick that went through everyone and in at the far post, and then Morioka made it 2-1 with less than ten minutes to go after fine work from Tashiro and Tanaka created the opening.
But Sanfrecce are not in the position that they are in because they give up easily and three minutes later they were level. Ishihara latched onto a deflected pass and calmly slotted the ball past the onrushing Tokushige in the Vissel goal. And the home team got all three points when Moriwaki danced through the Vissel defence in lost time to make the final score 3-2!