Kenya’s Michael Olunga will be keen to crown a successful season with silverware when Kashiwa Reysol and FC Tokyo clash in the YBC Levain Cup final on Monday at Japan National Stadium.
“The Engineer” swept the Player of the Year award in 2020 J1 League and Golden Boot two weeks ago after scoring 28 goals as Reysol marked their return to the top tier with a seventh-place finish. Olunga was also named in the J1 League Best XI.
The Kenyan international striker, who will turn 27 on March 27, heads into the rearranged fixture with his only team accolades being the Kenyan Premier League, KPL Top 8 Cup and Kenyan Super Cup with Gor Mahia in 2015.
This match was initially slated for November 7, 2020, but was moved due to large-scale coronavirus infections in Reysol’s camp.
The Levain Cup final will be Olunga’s first big chance for a major trophy outside Kenya. It also provides a good opportunity for Kashiwa to add another Levain Cup to their cabinet after winning the 1999 and 2013 titles. Tokyo, too, have won this cup twice – in 2004 and 2009.
The Levain Cup winner will pocket Sh79.2 million while the runners-up will get a commemorative plaque, medals and Sh26.4 million.
Previous results between these two sides show that this will be a close contest.
On the way to the final, Kashiwa hit Gamba Osaka 1-0, Shonan Bellmare 1-0 and Oita Trinita 3-1 at the group stage and then saw off Cerezo Osaka 3-0 and Yokohama F. Marinos 1-0 in quarter-final and semi-final stage, respectively.
Tokyo got a bye in the group stage after qualifying for 2020 the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League group stage. The Tokyo-based side reached the Levain Cup final after flooring Nagoya Grampus 3-0 at the quarter-final stage and Kawasaki Frontale 2-0 in semi-finals.
In the 2020 league season, Kashiwa lost 1-0 at home in July before running out 3-1 winners in the return leg in Tokyo in October in a match that Olunga provided two assists for Brazilian Cristiano in the second half after Ataru Esaka scored the opening goal. Adailton netted Tokyo’s goal.
In this fixture, all eyes will be on Olunga, Cristiano and Esaka on Reysol side, while Tokyo, who ended the league in sixth-place, will rely on Kensuke Nagai, Diego Oliveira and Leandro.
Earlier reports said J-League plans to hold the match with about 26,000 fans at the 68,000-seater Japan National Stadium.
This stadium will serve as the main stadium for the opening and closing ceremonies, as well as the venue for track and field athletics events at the 2020 Summer Olympics and Paralympics to be held in July/August and August/September this year.