Nagoya Grampus v Newcastle Jets
The dire fare served up on a beautiful spring evening between Nagoya Grampus and Newcastle Jets was not a great advert for the 2009 Asian Champions League.
Just over 7,000 fans forsook the lively bars and stunning cherry blossom around Mizuho Stadium to watch two poor teams struggle through a a J- v A-League bore draw.
Newcastle took an unexpected early lead through Tarek Elrich and we settled back for an entertaining contest -- it never arrived. The disappointment at the "entertainment" on offer was matched only by the news that the lukewarm stadium beer had gone up 50 yen since last season. Cheers!
The only moment of quality in the game was Japan international Keiji Tamada's stunning free kick just after the hour mark.
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