DBasia.news – Andres Iniesta and David Villa became Vissel Kobe’s pedestal when they defeated Kashima Antlers 2-0. The victory brought Vissel to win the Japanese Emperor Cup.
The match was the last in Villa’s professional career. The former Spanish national team star ended his career in conjunction with the opening of the Tokyo New National Stadium for the final match.
Previously, Villa had announced he would retire last November. Unfortunately, Villa only appeared as a substitute for Lukas Podolski in that match. The former Valencia player chose to retire after suffering an injury. “I am thrilled to be able to stand on the pitch in the end and be ecstatic,” Villa said.
The Vissel Club was originally founded in 1966 and moved to Kobe in Western Japan in 1995. The club has built a star-studded squad in an effort to end the wait for the trophy. The former stars who joined include Iniesta, Villa, Thomas Vermaelen, and Podolski.
Vissel’s victory was thanks to Iniesta’s services who masterminded Tomoya Inukai’s own goal. Another goal was scored by Noriaki Fujimoto.