Football Japan Minutecast

An injury time winner from North Korean international Chong Tese gave Kawasaki Frontale a thrilling 3-2 victory over Nagoya Grampus at the Toyota Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

Kawasaki were keen to bounce back quickly after their AFC Champions League troubles continued with a 3-1 home defeat to Beijing Guoan amidst heavy snow last Tuesday, and got off to a fine start when Renatinho wrong-footed Nagoya �ekeeper Seigo Narazaki with an excellent free kick after just three minutes. Winter signing Mu Kanazaki equalised moments later for the home side, but Frontale were back in front on the quarter-hour mark courtesy of another free kick this time a heavily deflected effort by Chong Tese.

Nagoya�fs greater ambition in the second half brought rewards when Magnum connected with Igor Burzanović�fs crossed free kick to level the scores again, but Chong came up trumps once more with a powerful shot from 15 yards to clinch all three points in the final minute.

The result takes Kawasaki up to second in the embryonic J1 table behind newly-promoted Vegalta Sendai, who continued their impressive return to the top flight with a 3-1 win over Omiya Ardija thanks to goals from Ryang Yong-Gi, Elizeu, and Fernandinho.

In contrast, Gamba Osaka have now drawn all five of their competitive fixtures this year after following up a disappointing 1-1 draw at home to Henan Construction in the ACL with a similar scoreline away to Cerezo Osaka in the first Osaka derby in four seasons. Tomokazu Myojin�fs shot somehow found its way past Kenya Matsui to give Gamba the lead midway through the second half, but Brazilian forward Adriano levelled from a tight angle just six minutes later.

There were mixed fortunes for the other two Kansai sides, as Vissel Kobe sank to a 2-1 defeat at home to Sanfrecce Hiroshima, but a dramatic late equaliser from Diego gave Kyoto Sanga a useful point at home to defending champions Kashima Antlers.

Elsewhere, Shimizu S-Pulse thrashed Montedio Yamagata 3-0, Urawa Reds took a promising 1-0 win at home to FC Tokyo, Albirex Niigata drew 1-1 with Jubilo Iwata, and returning hero Shunsuke Nakamura helped Yokohama F Marinos to a 3-0 victory over Shonan Bellmare with an assist for Yuzo Kurihara�fs opener midway through the first half.


J1 results (matchday 2)
Yokohama F Marinos 3-0 Shonan Bellmare
Albirex Niigata 1-1 Jubilo Iwata
Shimizu S-Pulse 3-0 Montedio Yamagata
Vegalta Sendai 3-1 Omiya Ardija
Nagoya Grampus 2-3 Kawasaki Frontale
Kyoto Sanga 1-1 Kashima Antlers
Urawa Reds 1-0 FC Tokyo
Cerezo Osaka 1-1 Gamba Osaka
Vissel Kobe 1-2 Sanfrecce Hiroshima


AFC Champions League results (Eastern section, matchday 2)
Group E
Melbourne Victory 0-2 Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma
Kawasaki Frontale 1-3 Beijing Guoan

Group F
Changchun Yatai 9-0 Persipura Jayapura
Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors 1-2 Kashima Antlers

Group G
Gamba Osaka 1-1 Henan Construction
Singapore Armed Forces 0-2 Samsung Suwon Bluewings

Group H
Shandong Luneng 0-2 Adelaide United
Pohang Steelers 2-1 Sanfrecce Hiroshima

Unfancied Omiya Ardija were the biggest winners on the opening weekend of the 2010 J1 season after an emotional 3-0 victory over newly-promoted Cerezo Osaka at the NACK5 Stadium on Sunday afternoon.

The visitors came into their first top flight game in three seasons with a big reputation after totalling 100 goals and 104 points in J2 last year, but it was the home side that quickly took the upper hand and led after just 14 minutes when Hayato Hashimoto�fs corner somehow drifted straight in over the head of Kenya Matsui, making his debut in the Cerezo goal. Omiya�fs advantage was then doubled shortly before the interval when Rafael squared the ball for strike partner Naoki Ishihara to slot home from close range.

The defining image of the game, however, came eight minutes from full time when Rafael was first to react to a Mato Neretljak free kick that had rebounded off the crossbar to make the score 3-0. The Brazilian forward then led his teammates to celebrate the win with an orange number 2 jersey in tribute to Ardija defender Taishi Tsukamoto, who was recently diagnosed as having bone cancer in his right leg.

Elsewhere, goals right at the beginning and end of the match from Shinzo Koroki and Marquinhos gave champions Kashima Antlers a 2-0 win over Urawa Reds with which to begin their assault on a record fourth straight J. League crown, while Nagoya Grampus gained revenge for their defeat in the Emperor�fs Cup final by beating Gamba Osaka 2-1 at Banpaku. Keiji Tamada�fs early strike was cancelled out by a fine equaliser from Takahiro Futagawa, but Joshua Kennedy scored midway through the second period to secure all three points for the visitors.

Jubilo Iwata went down to a newly-promoted side on opening day for the second year in a row thanks to a solitary, first-minute goal from Vegalta Sendai�fs North Korean midfielder Ryang-Yong Gi, while Shonan Bellmare opened their first top flight campaign of the 21st century with a 1-1 draw at home to Montedio Yamagata.

In the weekend�fs other matches, a last-minute equaliser from Genki Omae earned Shimizu S-Pulse a point at Sanfrecce Hiroshima, FC Tokyo secured a tense 1-0 win over Yokohama F Marinos, Kawasaki Frontale won 2-1 against Albirex Niigata, and Vissel Kobe beat Kyoto Sanga 2-0 in the first Kansai derby of the year.


J1 results (matchday 1)
Shonan Bellmare 1-1 Montedio Yamagata
Jubilo Iwata 0-1 Vegalta Sendai
FC Tokyo 1-0 Yokohama F Marinos
Sanfrecce Hiroshima 1-1 Shimizu S-Pulse
Kashima Antlers 2-0 Urawa Reds
Kawasaki Frontale 2-1 Albirex Niigata
Gamba Osaka 1-2 Nagoya Grampus
Vissel Kobe 2-0 Kyoto Sanga
Omiya Ardija 3-0 Cerezo Osaka

J. League champions Kashima Antlers carried home the first silverware of the 2010 season after beating Emperor�fs Cup winners Gamba Osaka on penalties in the Fuji Xerox Super Cup on Saturday afternoon.

Following a 1-1 draw after 90 minutes, the pivotal moment of the season-opening showpiece ultimately came when midfielder Yasuhito Endo scooped a dreadful penalty high over the crossbar with Gamba�fs first attempt of the shootout. The miss drew audible shock from the 34,634-strong crowd - Endo is a regular penalty taker for club and country and had only missed four times in 13 years - and with no further unsuccessful kicks throughout, Brazilian striker Marquinhos stepped up to fire home Kashima�fs fifth penalty and secure a 5-3 shootout victory.

The dramatic conclusion to the fixture provided a fitting symmetry, as Kashima had initially taken the lead midway through the first half through another well-placed spot kick from Marquinhos, after Gamba rookie Shunya Suganuma was adjudged to have pulled down Daiki Iwamasa. The champions looked good value for their lead but were eventually pegged back just before the interval when right back Akira Kaji�fs shot deflected off the head of Mitsuo Ogasawara and into the Antlers net to level the scores.

The win crowned off a fine week for Oswaldo de Oliveira�fs side, after Koji Nakata�fs 42nd-minute header had been enough to see off Chinese outfit Changchun Yatai in the first round of AFC Champions League group matches on Tuesday evening. Kashima sit second in Group F behind Korean champions Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors, who won 4-1 away to Indonesian minnows Persipura Jayapura.

Gamba managed a useful goalless draw away to Samsung Suwon Bluewings in what looks likely to be their toughest challenge of the opening phase, but there was bad news for the competition�fs two other J. League representatives. Kawasaki Frontale went down to a 2-0 loss at K-League side Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma, while Sanfrecce Hiroshima�fs first appearance on the Asian stage ended with a 1-0 home defeat to Shandong Luneng of China.


Fuji Xerox Super Cup result
Kashima Antlers 1-1 Gamba Osaka (after 90 minutes; Kashima win 5-3 on penalties)


AFC Champions League results (Eastern section, matchday 1)
Group E
Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma 2-0 Kawasaki Frontale
Beijing Guoan 1-0 Melbourne Victory

Group F
Persipura Jayapura 1-4 Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors
Kashima Antlers 1-0 Changchun Yatai

Group G
Samsung Suwon Bluewings 0-0 Gamba Osaka
Henan Construction 0-0 Singapore Armed Forces

Group H
Sanfrecce Hiroshima 0-1 Shandong Luneng
Adelaide United 1-0 Pohang Steelers

National team stalwart Shunsuke Nakamura has reportedly agreed to end his eight-year spell in Europe and return to the J. League with former club Yokohama F. Marinos.

The former Reggina and Celtic star has struggled to settle into life in Spain with Espanyol despite being heralded as a genuine coup for the Barcelona-based club when his signature was announced last June. Nakamura made only his 13th La Liga appearance as an 86th-minute substitute during his side�fs 2-1 defeat in Malaga last night, but having not even been named on the bench for the previous four matches, the 31-year-old was given permission earlier this month to begin talks with the club he first joined out of high school back in 1997.

The Marinos management have made little secret of their desire to bring Nakamura back �ehome�f for a number of years, but were left disappointed when he opted for Espanyol despite flying into Yokohama for talks last summer. Seven months on, negotiations with the player�fs agent now finally appear to have succeeded, and a long-awaited return to the Nissan Stadium should be concluded within the week as soon as a transfer fee is agreed between the two clubs.

Nakamura spent three years in Serie A with Reggina before enjoying the most successful spell of his career in Scotland, helping Celtic to six major honours in four seasons and being named both Player and Footballer of the Year in 2007. Newly-appointed Marinos coach Kazushi Kimura has expressed the hope that a J. League return will allow the midfielder to recover his form ahead of this summer�fs World Cup, where he will seek to add to his 93 Japan caps and 24 goals.

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The East Asian club season gets under way this week with the first round of matches in the 2010 AFC Champions League. J. League title-holders Kashima Antlers host Changchun Yatai of China tomorrow evening, Kawasaki Frontale visit Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma of Korea, while Wednesday�fs matches see Gamba Osaka travel to Suwon Samsung Bluewings and first-time qualifiers Sanfrecce Hiroshima take on Shandong Luneng.

Kashima and Gamba will then meet for the Fuji Xerox Super Cup in Tokyo to officially open the Japanese season on Saturday.

China are the winners of the 2010 East Asian Championship after host nation Japan went down to a ill-tempered 3-1 defeat in the tournament�fs final game against South Korea in Tokyo yesterday evening.

Needing to better China�fs 2-0 victory over Hong Kong earlier in the day to take their first ever honours in the competition, Japan got off to a perfect start when Yasuhito Endo fired home a 23rd minute penalty after Marcus Tulio Tanaka had been hauled to the ground by Korean defender Kang Min-Soo. The lead lasted just ten minutes, however, as Atsuto Uchida�fs trip on Kim Bo-Kyung gave Lee Dong-Gook the chance to level from the spot - heralding eight minutes of madness that saw the hosts fall both a goal and a man down.

Lee Seung-Ryul�fs speculative shot deflected off the back of Japan captain Yuji Nakazawa - making his 100th appearance for the national side - to give South Korea the lead on 39 minutes, before Tulio was sent off for allegedly aiming a kick at Kang Min-Soo moments later.

Japan rallied after the interval and were given a huge boost when numerical parity was restored with a second yellow card for visiting skipper Kim Jung-Woo, but once again struggled to create enough clear chances despite dominating much of the possession. Instead, it was the Koreans that broke down to the other end and sealed all three points courtesy of a fine curling effort from Kim Jae-Sung from the edge of the box with 20 minutes remaining.

Coach Takeshi Okada apologised for the performance after the game, but defiantly refused to change his opinion that a semi-final appearance at this summer�fs World Cup remains a fair and realistic objective.

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Japan had gone into the final day in joint first place after beating Hong Kong 3-0 last Thursday thanks to a Keiji Tamada brace either side of a headed effort from Tulio, but it was China�fs shock win by a similar scoreline over South Korea 24 hours earlier that ultimately proved most crucial. The title is China�fs second from the four East Asian Championships held to date, while Japan - runners-up on all three previous occasions - were ultimately relegated to third.


East Asian Championship 2010 results
China 3-0 South Korea
Japan 3-0 Hong Kong
Hong Kong 0-2 China
Japan 1-3 South Korea

The Japanese national team suffered the ignominy of being booed by their own supporters after opening their East Asian Championship campaign with a 0-0 draw against China in Tokyo. The result came off the back of a similar goalless stalemate in a friendly with Venezuela in Oita last Tuesday.

Having given a much heralded start to Mitsuo Ogasawara against Venezuela, Takeshi Okada opted to replace the Kashima Antlers midfielder on Saturday with the returning Keiji Tamada, who had missed out through injury four days earlier. The Nagoya Grampus striker and Kengo Nakamura of Kawasaki Frontale were both guilty of firing off target with Japan�fs best two opportunities in a scrappy first half, which saw Chinese defender Rong Hao hit the side netting from distance as the visitors grew in confidence.

Japan picked up the tempo after the half time interval and were unlucky not to go in front when Atsuto Uchida�fs shot bounced off the inside of the post into the grateful arms of goalkeeper Yang Zhi, but the home side struggled to create many clear cut chances thereafter despite continuing to control much of the possession. Indeed, it was China who came closest to breaking the deadlock when Yuto Nagatomo was penalised for handling in the area ten minutes from time, but Seigo Narazaki kept out Yang Hao�fs weak spot kick to at least ensure that the game finished even.

Despite the chorus of boos that echoed around a half-full Ajinomoto Stadium at the final whistle, Okada was quick to take encouragement from the domination that his team had enjoyed, and suggested that greater penetration in the final third would come with more match practice.

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In the weekend�fs other match, reigning champions South Korea got their title defence off to a fine start with a 5-0 victory over tournament underdogs Hong Kong. Goals from Kim Jung-Woo, Gu Ja-Cheol, Lee Dong-Gook, and Lee Seung-Ryul gave the Koreans a 4-0 advantage inside just 37 minutes, before No Byung-Jun added a fifth in second half stoppage time. Japan will now look for a similar performance against Hong Kong on Thursday, before taking on South Korea in the competition�fs final game on Sunday.


East Asian Championship 2010 results
Japan 0-0 China
South Korea 5-0 Hong Kong

Friendly match result
Japan 0-0 Venezuela

Takeshi Okada has concerns over Keiji Tamada and Atsuto Uchida as the Japan national team arrives in Oita ahead of their friendly match with Venezuela tomorrow evening.

Kashima Antlers defender Uchida, who remains the subject of intense speculation over a possible overseas transfer, has reportedly suffered a recurrence of the stress-related nausea that has often plagued him in the past, while Nagoya Grampus striker Tamada has been forced to sit out training after feeling pain in his right abductor muscle.

News of Tamada�fs injury has heightened speculation that Japan will call upon Sota Hirayama to start up front alongside Shinji Okazaki, after the 24-year-old followed up his hat-trick for an experimental national side against Yemen last month with an impressive showing throughout the full squad�fs training camp in Kagoshima last week. Okada said yesterday that he will have to �ewait and see�f if Tamada will be fit to play any part against Venezuela, but described Hirayama�fs presence in practice as �ehaving a very good impact on the squad�f.

Tomorrow�fs friendly game serves as a warm-up for the East Asian Championship in Tokyo, which kicks off on Saturday evening when Japan take on 2005 winners China. Japan have finished as runners-up in each of the previous three editions of the four-team tournament, which also features reigning champions South Korea, and Hong Kong, who ousted North Korea in a qualifying competition last summer.

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Former Japan striker Masashi Oguro has left Tokyo Verdy to join fellow J2 side Yokohama FC on a season-long loan. The 29-year-old made his name with Gamba Osaka before spells in Europe with Grenoble and Torino, but was unable to help Verdy return to J1 at the first attempt despite 21 goals in 39 league appearances last season. Oguro expressed his excitement at the opportunity to learn from veteran forward Kazuyoshi Miura and help Yokohama, who finished down in 16th position last year, back up to the top flight for the first time since 2007.


East Asian Championship 2010 schedule

Saturday 6 February
Japan v China

Sunday 7 February
South Korea v Hong Kong

Wednesday 10 February
China v South Korea

Thursday 11 February
Japan v Hong Kong

Sunday 14 February
Hong Kong v China
Japan v South Korea

Atsuto Uchida joins up with the rest of the Japan squad for their training camp in Kagoshima today as the centre of attention after it was reported that Lokomotiv Moscow are interested in taking the Kashima Antlers right-back to the Russian Premier League following this year�fs World Cup.

The 21-year-old has been a key figure in the Kashima eleven since joining the club straight from high school in 2006, and a regular for Takeshi Okada�fs national team following his debut against Chile two years ago tomorrow. His performances have attracted the attention of a number of European clubs, but with interest from German side Schalke 04 said to have cooled following the arrival of Chinese international Hao Junmin, Lokomotiv now appear to be in pole position for Uchida�fs signature.

Despite signing a four-and-a-half-year contract just 12 months ago, the Antlers management have already admitted that they would be powerless to prevent their player from moving overseas this summer. Uchida would become the second Japan international to ply their trade in Russia after Keisuke Honda joined Lokomotiv�fs cross-city rivals CSKA Moscow from Dutch outfit VVV Venlo earlier this month.

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In a busy week of transfer activity across the J. League, there was better news for Kashima fans on Saturday when the club announced they had signed Brazilian attacking midfielder Fellype Gabriel from Portuguesa. The 24-year-old, who lists Flamengo and Cruzeiro amongst his former clubs, made five appearances for the Brazil U-20 side in their run to the semi-finals of the FIFA World Youth Championship in 2005.

Fellype could be making his debut against a former team-mate in the season-opening Fuji Xerox Super Cup on 27 February, after Emperor�fs Cup winners Gamba Osaka announced the signing of Portuguesa striker Zé Carlos last Monday. The 26-year-old played against Gamba on the way to an AFC Champions League winner�fs medal with Korean side Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors in 2006, and joins another new Brazilian forward, Dodo, who impressed in a brief spell with J2 side Ehime FC last year.

Elsewhere, FC Tokyo have announced the arrivals of Brazilian U-20 striker Ricardinho and Korean U-21 defender Kim Young-Gwon, while Montedio Yamagata have confirmed the permanent signing of Yu Hasegawa, who scored ten league goals while on loan from Kashiwa Reysol last season.

Man-of-the-moment Sota Hirayama has been included in a 26-man squad named by Japan coach Takeshi Okada for next week�fs pre-season training camp in Kagoshima and the friendly with Venezuela on 2 February.

Hirayama�fs inclusion had been widely touted following a hat-trick on his international debut against Yemen earlier this month, but this is the first time that the 24-year-old FC Tokyo striker has ever been called up for a Japan team at full strength. Two other players to retain their places from the experimental squad chosen for the Asian Cup qualifying match are Mu Kanazaki of Nagoya Grampus and the uncapped Taisuke Muramatsu of Shonan Bellmare, who missed out against Yemen through illness.

Former Rennes midfielder Junichi Inamoto celebrated his 150,000 euro move to Kawasaki Frontale with a return to the squad, while there was also a first recall in over three years for Mitsuo Ogasawara, who won his sixth J. League title with Kashima Antlers last season. Ogasawara last played for Japan in the 2006 World Cup before a brief spell in Serie A with Messina, but has remained in the international wilderness ever since despite repeated calls for his inclusion from pundits and club coach Oswaldo de Oliveira alike.

The 30-year-old usually takes a deeper lying role for Kashima, but Okada has suggested that he is likely to be used in attacking midfield if chosen against Venezuela.

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Kazuyoshi Miura will extend his record as the J. League�fs oldest ever player this season after agreeing to a one-year extension to his contract with J2 side Yokohama FC. The striker turned down a possible return to Brazilian third division club XV de Jaú, where he enjoyed a successful season as a 21-year-old back in 1988, to sign on for a fourth year at the Mitsuzawa Stadium for an estimated salary of 30 million yen. �eKing Kazu�f scored once in 30 league appearances for Yokohama last year, and celebrates his 43rd birthday next month.

Former Arsenal and Fulham midfielder Junichi Inamoto�fs return to the J. League could be confirmed as early as this afternoon after last season�fs runners-up Kawasaki Frontale announced on Sunday that they expected to have a deal confirmed for the 30-year-old within �ethe next couple of days�f.

Inamoto, who remains best known for his pair of goals in the 2002 World Cup, only joined French side Rennes from Eintracht Frankfurt in Germany last summer, but expressed his desire to move back to Japan last month after finding playing opportunities limited in Ligue 1. The midfielder has also appeared for West Bromwich Albion, Cardiff City, and Galatasaray throughout what has been a somewhat nomadic European adventure since leaving Gamba Osaka in 2001, but enjoyed a return to the domestic spotlight with a first national team goal in over six years against Ghana last September.

One player who has already signed on the dotted line for a J. League comeback is Shinji Ono, whose arrival at Shimizu S-Pulse was set in stone on Saturday. The former Urawa Reds and Feyenoord midfielder made just 29 Bundesliga appearances for VfL Bochum in an injury-plagued two years, but hopes that rejoining his family in Japan will help revitalise his career and put him back in contention for the World Cup squad this summer.

Sota Hirayama may have been the toast of the nation after a hat-trick on his full international debut against Yemen last week, but the FC Tokyo striker insists that anything less than ten league goals would still make 2010 a disappointment. Hirayama was labelled as the next big thing after breaking into the Japan Olympic team at the age of just 18 and scoring eight goals in the Dutch Eredivisie in his first season as a professional with Heracles Almelo in 2005-06. His career has stagnated since moving to the J. League, however, with just 13 goals in total over the last three and a half years.

The 24-year-old was part of an experimental squad for the Yemen game consisting almost entirely of uncapped players, with Japan�fs progress in Asian Cup qualification virtually guaranteed. Takeshi Okada�fs side fell 2-0 down early on, but in single-handedly leading their recovery to win 3-2, Hirayama became the first Japan player to net a trio on his debut since Takeo Wakabayashi back in 1930.


Key dates
25 January - Japan national team training camp (Kagoshima)
2 February - Friendly match: Japan v Venezuela (Oita)
6-14 February - 2010 East Asian Football Championship (Tokyo)
23-24 February - AFC Champions League group stage matchday 1
27 February - Fuji Xerox Super Cup (Kashima Antlers v Gamba Osaka)
6 March - J. League matchday 1