SHIZUOKA, Japan (Dec. 6, 2025) (Interstat) — Fagiano Okayama opened its J1 League season with a 2-1 road upset of Shimizu S-Pulse on Saturday at IAI Stadium Nihondaira, defying pre-match projections.

Substitute Lucas Marcos provided the decisive spark for the visitors, breaking a scoreless deadlock with a goal in the 63rd minute and assisting on Ataru Esaka’s strike in the 76th for a 2-0 lead. Shimizu S-Pulse’s Toshiki Takahashi scored in the 90th minute, but the late rally fell short.

The result handed Fagiano Okayama a winning start to its league campaign, while the home side, which statistical models heavily favored to win, began with a loss. Both teams finished the match with a yellow card.