Baki's Back!

.........and off again, but in a way, that was the red card cherry on top of the opening game cake. A local derby game with the recently relegated Gamba Osaka was always going to be a gooden, and it didn't disappoint on the drama front. It was the perfect season opener. Sanga taking the lead goal, then Osaka equalling, then going ahead, then us equalling, then going ahead....and then that last penalty. 3-3.

But 3 goals for Sanga, the well-deserved fruit of their beautiful passing, using the space, moving forward and an abundance of shots. So different to last season. Can't complain at all.  Plus, seeing this performance, somehow the new kit is growing on me too.

It was interesting to see a (ex) J League stadium, and couldn't help but compare it to Nishikyogoku. Of course Gamba's Expo' 70 Commemorative stadium has a bigger capacity, and it was all the fun of the fair with the international food stalls outside - had a pretty decent burrito. It was also pretty easy to access, just step off the monorail and there you are. For me though, easy access sacrifices the local feel of stadiums like Nishikyogoku, planted smack in the middle of neighbourhoods that naturally generate a community of fans and local business support. There's nowt quite like being on the Hankyu with all the other fans, getting off and crossing over to the stadium together, and seeing all the purple shirts emerging from the side streets and surging into the ground.

It was also a good chance to see the symbol of Expo' 70 by the very famous and influential artist Taro Okamoto - 'The Tower of the Sun' (太陽の塔). It encompasses 3 faces of the sun to represent the past, present and future. Something quite relevant perhaps for us football fans, whose lives follow the ups and downs of relegation and promotion, looking back to past seasons of glory, misses and reassuring ourselves with what the next game will bring. 

On the topic of 'art', you may notice I've included a photo of a giant inflatable battery by Gamba's sponsor Panasonic. Nishikyogoku has it's giant inflatable chairs. So this season, instead of checking out all the different cheesy, cutesy mascots, my focus will be on these rather unique stadium decorations. Tracks and giant inflatables...stadiums over this end eh.....