6 Mar 2003(Thu)

After losing all three games without scoring a goal in the recent A3 Mazda Champions Cup, some people had already written off Jubilo Iwata for the new season.

They included the Yugoslav head coach of China's Dalian Shide, Milorad Kosanovic.

After his team had beaten Jubilo 1-0 in the last round of Mazda matches, Kosanovic said Dalian's time was coming up and Jubilo's was going down. He also said Kashima Antlers were the favorites to win the league title this year.

One person who did not doubt Jubilo's ability, however, was Gert Engels, Kyoto Purple Sanga's German manager.

Before the Xerox Super Cup game last Saturday, Engels said it would be "dangerous" to play Jubilo after they had lost three straight games.

And he was proved right.

After a poor first half, which ended 0-0, Jubilo finally found their form and ran out comfortable 3-0 winners.

Although Brazilian striker Rodrigo Gral, who looks a lot like Francesco Totti in appearance, received a lot of attention after the game for scoring two goals, the Jubilo player who galvanized the team was the reliable Toshiya Fujita.

In the first half, Kyoto's offside trap had worked well, catching out the Jubilo forwards on regular occasions.

It needed something special to break through, and Fujita was the man who made it happen.

The J.League MVP in 2001 was overshadowed last season by the 26 goals of Naohiro Takahara, but this did not mean Fujita's form went down.

He is as vital to the team as any player, because he has a quick footballing brain and never stops thinking and running.

It was Fujita's deep runs from midfield which caused confusion in the Kyoto defense, and he also showed composure and exquisite skill in a tight area in the penalty box before stroking home the game's first goal.

He created the second one, too, after a well-timed run and shot, which was parried into the path of the Braziian. He could also claim an assist for the third goal, as his accurate corner from the right was back-headed by Takashi Fukunishi for Gral to score with an easy diving header.

On the day, Fujita was fantastic, showing the kind of form and leadership qualities which earned him the MVP award two seasons ago.

Jubilo looked liberated after the first goal, but they still have a lot to do to be the power they were last season.

Strikers thrive on confidence, and Gral needed those two goals to lift his spirits and those of his teammates.

We will have to wait and see if Gral becomes a permanent fixture in the team alongside Nakayama.

But we don't have to wait to realise that the lively, clever Fujita will be a key man again for Jubilo this season.

ends