Football Japan Minutecast

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