Ange Postecoglou has become the first Australian manager to win the J-League, after his Yokohama F Marinos put three past FC Tokyo today.
F.Marinos – linked to Manchester City as part of the City Football Group, which owns a 20 per cent share in the club – had gone 15 years without a league crown.
But after narrowly avoiding relegation in his first season in 2018, former Australia head coach Postecoglou ended F.Marinos' wait following Saturday's 3-0 defeat of FC Tokyo.
In front of a sell-out crowd of 63,854 fans at Nissan Stadium in Yokohama, 10-man F.Marinos emphatically sealed a fourth J.League trophy thanks to goals from Theerathon Bunmathan, Erik and Keita Endo.
F.Marinos – riding a 10-game unbeaten run and six-game winning streak – entered the final-day showdown three points clear of Tokyo, with Postecoglou's men needing to lose by four goals to be denied the title For Postecoglou, surrounded by countrymen Peter Cklamovski and Arthur Papas, it is reward for the Australian's hard work and unrelenting belief in his philosophy following last season's 12th-place finish.
Winner of two National Soccer League championships, back-to-back A-League titles and a record 36-match unbeaten streak at Brisbane Roar, plus a ground-breaking 2015 Asian Cup triumph with the Socceroos – Postecoglou turned F.Marinos on their head in 2018.
While there were initial struggles, the squad came to grips with Postecoglou's demands this season, though the 54-year-old never had any doubts as he wanted to leave his mark on Japanese football.
Congratulations from all of us at Greek City Times and our followers.
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