Mitchell Langerak was in excellent form yet again for Nagoya Grampus, as they handily defeated Tokushima Vortis, 3-0, but it wasn’t just another clean sheet for the Australian goalkeeper. Langerak’s shoutout was his 18th in the first 28 matches of the 2021 MEIJI YASUDA J1 LEAGUE season — one more than last campaign when he broke the J.League record for most clean sheets in a season.

Widely regarded as one of the best goalkeepers in Japan, Langerak is no stranger to breaking records, as he also set the mark for most consecutive clean sheets in league history earlier this season.

While Langerak had to organize his defense to shut down Tokushima early in the match, Nagoya took full control in the 50th minute when Takeru Kishimoto was shown a red card and Mateus converted the ensuing penalty. Up a goal and a man, Nagoya dominated the rest of the way, with an own goal and Mu Kanazaki sealing the emphatic win from the spot.

Grampus are now up to fourth in the table, having taken 13 points from their last five league matches and conceding only one goal in that span — further illustration of the impact Langerak and his steely rearguard have had on this campaign.