First J-League match featuring Iniesta, Torres ends in goalless draw

Tokyo : Vissel Kobe and Sagan Tosu played out a goalless draw on Saturday in a J-League football match that was most noteworthy for being the first time former Spanish international stars and World Cup winners Andres Iniesta and Fernando Torres faced each other in league competition since they moved to Japan earlier this season.

The pair had already faced off when the teams met in August in the fourth round of the Emperor's Cup, which saw Torres score the third goal as Sagan Tosu won 3-0, reports Efe.

Unlike on that occasion, on Saturday the former Spain stars both started the match, although Torres was removed after 71 ineffective minutes, while Iniesta also failed to have much of an influence on the proceedings.

Former German international Lukas Podolski was the game's standout performer, as he came closest to breaking the deadlock in the 63rd minute when he struck a post.

The draw leaves Vissel Kobe in 12th place in the J-League, while Sagan Tosu are 15th.