The Ranko Popovic era at Oita Trinita got off to a perfect start on Saturday evening as J1’s bottom club stunned second-placed Urawa Reds and finally put an end to their league record run of 14 defeats on the bounce. Appointed in the wake of Pericles Chamusca’s dismissal last Tuesday, the Serbian manager’s debut was blessed by the return of defender Yuki Fukaya to the starting eleven, and after helping keep Urawa’s attacks at bay throughout, it was Fukaya who sealed all three points for Trinita with a towering header from Fernandinho’s corner eight minutes from time.
Of all of Oita’s injury problems this season, the absence of Fukaya has been felt most keenly, with Saturday’s game marking his first league start in nearly eight months after snapping his left anterior cruciate knee ligament against Kashima Antlers last November. With Popovic now able to reassemble the back three of Fukaya, Masato Morishige, and Taikai Uemoto that was virtually immovable last year, fans in Kyushu will be hoping their side can match the recovery of Alex Miller’s JEF United Chiba from a similarly perilous position in the second half of last year.
The gap between Trinita and safety is now 12 points, after Sanfrecce Hiroshima ended a run of three straight defeats with a comprehensive 4-1 thrashing of JEF United, who fall to 16th. Kashiwa Reysol are four points behind them after a 2-0 home loss to Gamba Osaka, who recovered from their own trio of reverses thanks to a brace from the league’s top scorer, Leandro.
Vissel Kobe move out of the relegation zone after a 2-2 draw at Kawasaki Frontale, as none of the top sides in J1 were able to capitalise on the slipups of those around them. Leaders Kashima failed to win for only the second time in 11 league games after Shimizu S-Pulse came from two down to steal a point at Nihondaira, while third place Albirex Niigata had to settle for a 1-1 draw at Yokohama F Marinos.
FC Tokyo secured their eighth consecutive win in all competitions with a 3-0 hammering of Omiya Ardija, which moves them just behind the chasing pack in fifth position. Montedio Yamagata continued their recovery with a 3-1 win over Jubilo Iwata, while Nagoya Grampus were held to a 1-1 draw at home to Kyoto Sanga.
J1 results (matchday 18)
Omiya Ardija 0-3 FC Tokyo
Kawasaki Frontale 2-2 Vissel Kobe
Yokohama F Marinos 1-1 Albirex Niigata
Shimizu S-Pulse 2-2 Kashima Antlers
Nagoya Grampus 1-1 Kyoto Sanga
Oita Trinita 1-0 Urawa Reds
Montedio Yamagata 3-1 Jubilo Iwata
Sanfrecce Hiroshima 4-1 JEF United Chiba
Kashiwa Reysol 0-2 Gamba Osaka
Nabisco Cup quarter final first leg results (15 July)
Kashima Antlers 1-0 Kawasaki Frontale
Gamba Osaka 1-3 Yokohama F Marinos
Urawa Reds 2-1 Shimizu S-Pulse
FC Tokyo 5-1 Nagoya Grampus
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