23 Nov 2003(Sun)

Something was stirring on the Jubilo Iwata bench, and the thousands of visiting fans at Ajinomoto Stadium were quick to respond.

It was the biggest cheer of the match so far, as Masashi Nakayama prepared to enter the arena like a modern-day gladiator.

Jubilo trailed Tokyo Verdy 1-0 when Nakayama ran on to replace Ryoichi Maeda in the 81st minute.

Seconds later it was 1-1 when Rodrigo Gral headed a beautiful equaliser from Aleksandar Zivkovic's right-wing corner. Surely all the Verdy defenders must have been watching Gon, and forgetting about the Brazilian.

Six minutes later it was 2-1 to Jubilo, when a low cross from Yasumasa Nishino was deflected into his own goal by the very unlucky Atsu Miura.

It was cruel on Verdy, but Jubilo deserved their win as they had created many clearcut openings.

After the game, the talk was all about one man: Nakayama.

It was his first appearance in the J.League since May, and his presence had turned a 1-0 defeat into a vital 2-1 victory within minutes.

With two matches to go, it seems that everything is falling into place for Jubilo at just the right time.

I thought they were very fortunate to be awarded a late penalty to beat Sendai 1-0 recently, and then Miura's own goal gave them another timely win.

After the match I spoke to Zivkovic, who has taken over from Toshiya Fujita on the left side of midfield and is enjoying his run in the team.

"After the game it occured to me that we had scored both goals after Nakayama came in, so maybe that means something," said Zivkovic, who still talks to his good friend Arno Van Zwam once a week on his mobile. (Arno is now playing for NAC Breda in the Dutch league, by the way).

"He is very important for the team and always gives a positive energy for us. It is good for him also, because he has been training very hard.

"For almost three months he went out on the pitch and did physical training and then did gym work in the cluhouse. He deserved that today, and maybe we won for him."

It really was a remarkable turnaround by Jubilo, and there could be no denying the inspirational part Gon played in that victory.

Even though he has been absent for a long time this season, Gon has not gone just yet.

ends