Substitute Pieros Sotiriou found the net twice in injury time to lead Sanfrecce Hiroshima to a dramatic 2-1 comeback victory over 10-man Cerezo Osaka in the Levain Cup final on Saturday.
The Cyprus international equalized with a 96th-minute penalty, then struck the winner in the 11th minute of time added, securing Sanfrecce's first league cup trophy less than a week after their penalty shootout loss to second-division Ventforet Kofu in the Emperor's Cup final.
A new arrival in Hiroshima this summer, Sotiriou sparked wild celebrations among the Sanfrecce faithful when he volleyed home from Makoto Mitsuta's corner kick moments before the final whistle in front of roughly 39,000 at Tokyo's National Stadium.
Players and spectators observed a moment's silence before kickoff for former Sanfrecce and Japan striker Masato Kudo, who died Friday at 32 after being diagnosed with a brain condition.
With Mutsuki Kato netting for Cerezo early in the second term, the J-League top flight's fourth-place side had been poised for victory over third-place Sanfrecce despite defender Matej Jonjic's 79th-minute red card.
Kato punished Sanfrecce for a blunder by defensive stalwart Sho Sasaki in the 53rd minute, intercepting his ill-timed back pass and rounding goalkeeper Keisuke Osako to chip home from the right of the box.
Jonjic's dismissal for rough play against Nassim Ben Khalifa handed a lifeline to Sanfrecce as the game appeared to be slipping away from first-year manager Michael Skibbe's side.
Akio Kogiku's men withstood the numerical disadvantage until center-back Koji Toriumi was ruled to have handled during an aerial challenge following a video review.
Sotiriou, who came off the bench in the 63rd minute, sent Cerezo goalkeeper Kim Jin Hyeon the wrong way with his spot kick before clinching Sanfrecce the title with his inspired winner.
The 29-year-old timed his run to connect with Mitsuta's kick from the right corner, steering a right-footed volley into the top-left corner.
