 S-Pulse won the match 5–4 on penalties to claim their first cup title.1997 and 1998 saw further improvements in the league; S-Pulse narrowly missed out on a 1st-place finish in the first stage of 1998 on goal difference.However, they failed to win any more silverware, coming closest in the 1998 Emperor's Cup with a 2–1 defeat in the final to Yokohama Flügels.