Football Japan Minutecast

Kashima Antlers and Kawasaki Frontale will go head to head for the J1 title on the final day of the season after both secured three points on the penultimate weekend.

A 5-1 rout of Gamba Osaka at Kashima Stadium kept the defending champions in the driving seat for a third consecutive crown, and put an end to any hopes their opponents may have had for a first league title in four years. After a goalless first half, a crazy six minutes early in the second saw Shinzo Koroki and Takuya Nozawa benefit from Gamba defensive blunders in quick succession, before Takahiro Futagawa pulled one back immediately for the visitors, only for Koroki to go straight down to the other end and restore Kashima�fs two-goal lead. Gamba�fs chances were soon over when Lucas was dismissed for two yellow cards, and a perfect afternoon for the home side was complete when two late counterattacks were finished off by substitutes Yuzo Tashiro and Danilo.

Kashima�fs celebrations were tempered slightly by the news that title rivals Kawasaki had secured a tense 1-0 win over Albirex Niigata thanks to a 70th-minute goal from North Korean striker Chong Tese. The gap between the two contenders remains two points, but Kawasaki�fs superior goal difference means a win at Kashiwa Reysol next Saturday will give them the title if Kashima fail to take all three points from a tough-looking trip to Urawa Reds.

Neither Urawa nor Kashiwa will have anything other than pride to play for on the final day, however, as their respective battles for ACL qualification and J1 survival came to a disappointing end on Saturday. Urawa�fs 1-0 loss at Kyoto Sanga guaranteed third place for Gamba Osaka, while Kashiwa drop down to the second tier after a 1-1 draw at closest rivals Omiya Ardija. The result also guaranteed the survival of Vissel Kobe, who lost 1-0 at FC Tokyo, and Montedio Yamagata, who went down to a 2-0 defeat at Nagoya Grampus.

Elsewhere, Sanfrecce Hiroshima moved up to fourth with a 1-0 win at Jubilo Iwata, Yokohama F Marinos made it five defeats in a row for former leaders Shimizu S-Pulse, while Oita Trinita moved off the bottom for the first time since April with a 2-0 victory at fellow relegated side JEF United Chiba.

In J2, leaders Vegalta Sendai thrashed Tokushima Vortis 4-0 to stay a point clear of Cerezo Osaka, who beat FC Gifu 2-1. Shonan Bellmare remain on course for the third promotion spot, but two points dropped at home to Thespa Kusatsu means they only have a one point cushion over Ventforet Kofu in fourth going into the final day.


J1 results (matchday 33)
Kashima Antlers 5-1 Gamba Osaka
Kawasaki Frontale 1-0 Albirex Niigata
Jubilo Iwata 0-1 Sanfrecce Hiroshima
Nagoya Grampus 2-0 Montedio Yamagata
Kyoto Sanga 1-0 Urawa Reds
Omiya Ardija 1-1 Kashiwa Reysol
FC Tokyo 1-0 Vissel Kobe
Yokohama F Marinos 2-0 Shimizu S-Pulse
JEF United Chiba 0-2 Oita Trinita


Selected J2 results (matchday 50)
Cerezo Osaka 2-1 FC Gifu
Fagiano Okayama 0-1 Ventforet Kofu
Shonan Bellmare 0-0 Thespa Kusatsu
Tokushima Vortis 0-4 Vegalta Sendai