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Ossie has finger on the Pulse

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JAPAN OSSIE Ardiles has steered his Japanese club, Shimizu S-Pulse, into the semi-finals of the J.League Yamazaki Nabisco Cup.

Ardiles, a World Cup-winning midfielder with Argentina in 1978 before moving to Tottenham Hotspur, is in his first season in Japan after losing his club coaching job in Mexico earlier this year.

Although S-Pulse are struggling in the J.League, they have made their mark in the mid-season League Cup by finishing top of Group B, ahead of glamour club Verdy Kawasaki.

These two will be joined in the semi-finals on September 4 by Group A leaders Bellmare Hiratsuka and either Sanfrecce Hiroshima or Kashiwa Reysol.

Bellmare and Sanfrecce both have 13 points from their seven two-leg matches but Bellmare have a much better goal difference: plus eight compared to Sanfrecce's plus two. Kashiwa have 12 points with one match to play - against bottom club Kyoto Purple Sanga - so are favoured to overtake Sanfrecce and claim the fourth spot in the semi-finals.

The 16 J.League clubs were split into two groups of eight for the League Cup and teams played each other on a home and away basis, with the aggregate winners collecting three points.

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