Yokohama F·Marinos started 2023 right where they finished 2022 - on top.

The Tricolor defeated Ventforet Kofu, 2-1, thanks to goals by Élber and Takuma Nishimura to win the Fujifilm Super Cup and lift the first trophy of the new year.

It was a captivating scene at the new Japan National Stadium as the match pitted a goliath in Meiji Yasuda J1 League champion Marinos against the second division giant slayer Ventforet that had beaten five straight top flight teams to win the Emperor’s Cup for the club’s first-ever major trophy.

That match-up, as well as the raucous singing from both sets of supporters, created a buzz that set the stage for the stupendous kickoff event to the Japanese football season.

The two sides began the match with bundles of energy, clearly ready to kick off the new season and feeding off the passion of their fans. Both teams traded chances early on, with Marinos constantly probing and Ventforet nearly scoring from a blistering shot from distance.

Élber broke the deadlock in the 30th minute, but it was truly a team goal as the entire Marinos team got involved in a brilliant bit of play to break down the Ventforet press.

The Tricolor passed around and through Ventforet with aplomb, eventually feeding Anderson Lopes on the right side of the box. The Brazilian hit a ball across for his compatriot and Élber finished with ease to delight the throng of Marinos supporters behind the goal.

Ventforet got even just before halftime thanks to a terrific play by Eduardo Mancha. The centerback stepped up perfectly to intercept a Marinos pass and drove the ball forward before hitting a fabulous through ball for Yoshiki Torikai, who was in behind the Tricolor defense. Torikai simply cut the ball back for Peter Utaka, who tapped the ball into the empty net and Ventforet had themselves a famous equalizer at the National Stadium.

Marinos had the upper hand after the break, keeping Ventforet under pressure and just missing out on the go-ahead goal on several occasions.

It looked like they had missed another opportunity when Anderson Lopes got in behind the defense and smashed a shot off the post, but the ball bounced off the woodwork right to Nishimura, who banged it home for what would prove to be the winning goal.

Marinos didn’t ease up with the lead, continuing to keep Ventforet pushed back, but the second division side was not without its bright moments. They proved dangerous on the counter and on set pieces, keeping the defending top flight champions on edge right to the very last play of the game.

All 11 Ventforet players streamed forward for a corner kick in the dying moments and after Marinos cleared the first attempt, Ventforet hit the ball back into the box. It was promptly smashed into the back of the net, only to have the linesman's flag go up for offside and disallow the goal.

Moments after that last attempt by Ventforet, the referee blew the final whistle and Marinos celebrated a Super Cup win years in the making.

The Tricolor had played in the event five times before, losing on each occasion, but this time the trophy was theirs. They had beaten the giant slayers from Kofu, won the competition that had eluded them and had another piece of silverware to add to their ever-growing trophy case in a perfect start to their 2023 campaign.