Football Japan Minutecast

Ryuji Bando came off the bench to score a hat-trick for the second time in three weeks as Cerezo Osaka recovered from 3-0 down to beat Sanfrecce Hiroshima 5-4.

The home side suffered a nightmare first half as defender Teruyuki Moniwa was forced off through injury after just eight minutes, before goalkeeper Kim Jin-Hyeon misjudged a cross from Mihael Mikić and allowed the ball to sail straight into the net. Further strikes from Yojiro Takahagi and Hisato Sato looked to have given Sanfrecce an unassailable advantage at the interval.

But Cerezo incredibly fought back level within twelve minutes of Bando�fs introduction at the start of the second period. A deflected effort from Hiroshi Kiyotake in the first minute of the half set the ball rolling, and Bando got his head to crosses from Yusuke Maruhashi and Fabio Lopes for two more goals in quick succession.

Kim Bo-Kyung finally put Cerezo ahead on 72 minutes with the aid of another deflection, while Bando completed his hat-trick soon afterwards to round off the spectacular recovery. Sato struck a close-range consolation for the visitors in stoppage time.

City rivals Gamba Osaka extended their lead at the top of J1 to three points with a rather less dramatic 2-0 win at home to fourth-from-bottom Omiya Ardija, as Kashiwa Reysol came from behind to beat reigning champions Nagoya Grampus 2-1.

Gamba took the lead at the end of a turgid first half when Rafinha pounced on a weak back pass by Shin Kanazawa. Omiya �ekeeper Takashi Kitano managed to prevent the Brazilian from scoring but the ball broke for strike partner Lee Keun-Ho to slot home into the empty goal.

Rafinha did net his eighth goal in nine appearances for the club late in the second half, collecting a pass from substitute Kim Seung-Yong to complete a rare flowing breakaway.

Their joy was doubled by the news from Kashiwa, where Grampus slipped to fourth in the table despite taking a 17th-minute lead through Keiji Tamada�fs direct free kick. Jorge Wagner�fs clever flick played in Junya Tanaka to equalise midway through the second half, before Yoshinari Takagi made a hash of Hiroki Sakai�fs cross to allow a simple finish for Masakatsu Sawa.

Yokohama F Marinos are now up to second ahead of Reysol on goal difference, as Aria Jasuru Hasegawa�fs early strike was enough to decide an unexpectedly tricky encounter with bottom side Avispa Fukuoka.

Gamba visit Yokohama next weekend for what will be their third top-two battle in the space of a month.

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Freefalling Kawasaki Frontale saw their club record run of consecutive league losses extended to eight in a display of comical defending at home to Vissel Kobe. Goals from Takayuki Yoshida and Yoshito Okubo – both left in acres of space – sandwiched the easiest of efforts for Park Kang-Jo, played through on goal by a woefully underhit back pass by Kosuke Kikuchi.

Ventforet Kofu remain seven points adrift of safety after a 2-1 home loss to Vegalta Sendai, but Montedio Yamagata are now just a point further back in 17th after Masato Yamazaki�fs second-minute goal secured a 1-0 victory away to Urawa Reds.

Elsewhere, a second half debut cameo from former Sweden international Frederik Ljungberg was not enough to turn the Shizuoka derby in favour of Shimizu S-Pulse, as Jubilo Iwata ran out 2-1 winners thanks to international pair Yuichi Komano and Ryoichi Maeda.

Fifth-placed Kashima Antlers fought back from two goals down to draw 2-2 at Albirex Niigata, but the two points dropped leave Oswaldo de Oliveira�fs side now ten behind the top four.


TALKING POINTS
- Nadeshiko Japan sealed their place at next year�fs Olympic Games in London with a record of four wins and one draw from their five Asian women�fs qualifying matches played in China this month.
- Shinji Okazaki scored the opener for VfB Stuttgart in their 3-0 home win over Hannover 96, while Hajime Hosogai recorded the first of his Bundesliga career but was unable to prevent FC Augsburg from losing 4-1 at home to Bayer Leverkusen.
- Lucas became the second former Gamba Osaka striker to hit a hat-trick on Saturday, following the earlier feats of Ryuji Bando as FC Tokyo thrashed Kyoto Sanga 6-1 to go two points clear at the top of J2.


J1 results (matchday 25)
Cerezo Osaka 5-4 Sanfrecce Hiroshima
Avispa Fukuoka 0-1 Yokohama F Marinos
Kashiwa Reysol 2-1 Nagoya Grampus
Albirex Niigata 2-2 Kashima Antlers
Jubilo Iwata 2-1 Shimizu S-Pulse
Gamba Osaka 2-0 Omiya Ardija
Urawa Reds 0-1 Montedio Yamagata
Ventforet Kofu 1-2 Vegalta Sendai
Kawasaki Frontale 0-3 Vissel Kobe

Japan made a slow but steady start to their qualifying campaign for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, earning a dramatic 1-0 victory at home to North Korea on Friday before drawing 1-1 away to Uzbekistan yesterday evening.

Maya Yoshida was the hero in Saitama with a 94th-minute winner to save the Samurai Blue�fs blushes, while Shinji Okazaki secured a useful point from the tricky visit to Tashkent with a diving header midway through the second half after Server Djeparov had put the Uzbeks in front early on.

Coach Alberto Zaccheroni was forced to reshuffle his pack for the double-header after star midfielder Keisuke Honda withdrew from the squad due to a knee injury sustained playing for CSKA Moscow against city rivals Spartak. Kengo Nakamura also saw his recall after 11 months in the international wilderness ruined by a broken big toe.

With the Italian keen to retain the 4-2-3-1 formation with which Japan had been crowned champions of Asia this January, Yosuke Kashiwagi of Urawa Reds was chosen to start in the centre of the attacking midfield three against North Korea, with Shinji Kagawa moving out to the left.

But the home side were repeatedly frustrated by the Koreans�f defensive tactics, and Kashiwagi was withdrawn for Hiroshi Kiyotake on the hour mark after failing to impose himself on the match despite an energetic effort.

A straight red card for Pak Kwong-Ryong on 84 minutes set the stage for a late Japanese onslaught, and following a number of near misses, Kiyotake followed his pair of debut assists against South Korea last month by crossing for Yoshida to finally head home in the fourth of five additional minutes.

The VVV Venlo defender�fs late intervention was reminiscent of his stoppage time equaliser against Jordan in the Asian Cup group stages, as well as the 92nd-minute Masashi Oguro strike that gave Japan a 2-1 victory over North Korea at the same Saitama Stadium in qualification for the 2006 World Cup almost seven years ago.

For the away match in Uzbekistan, Zaccheroni resisted the temptation to field Kiyotake from the start and instead chose to push captain Makoto Hasebe forward, with Yuki Abe of Leicester City filling his usual position alongside Yasuhito Endo at the base of midfield.

However, on a poor pitch that was hardly conducive to Japan�fs usual passing game, the visitors appeared unbalanced and soon found themselves overrun in wide areas. Their hosts took advantage inside just eight minutes – skipper Djeparov scrambling home the loose ball after Yasuyuki Konno had failed to deal with a short cross from Alexander Geynrikh.

Hasebe was restored to a deeper-lying role later in the half as Japan looked to stem the tide by temporarily switching to 4-1-4-1, before Kiyotake replaced Abe at the interval to restore the team�fs familiar shape.

The move brought greater balance to Zaccheroni�fs men throughout a much-improved second half display, and the equaliser that arrived on 64 minutes was just about deserved. Overlapping from right back, Atsuto Uchida sent in a deep cross for Okazaki to meet with a header at virtually pitch level, and the ball squirmed over the line through the hands of Uzbekistan goalkeeper Ignatiy Nesterov.

The manager admitted afterwards, �gIt was an extremely difficult game. Uzbekistan is one of the fastest-growing football nations in Asia and, as I had expected, they proved to be a very good side.

�gAs for Japan, our positioning was poor in the first half and we allowed our opponents too much space. This improved in the second half, and I felt it was highly important that this team again put everything on the line to try and win the match at the end.�h

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TALKING POINTS
- Maksim Shatskikh scored to give Uzbekistan a 1-0 win away to group minnows Tajikistan on Friday, while Pak Nam-Chol�fs early goal ensured victory by the same margin for North Korea in Pyongyang yesterday. The results leave the Uzbeks joint top of Group C alongside Japan on four points, with the Koreans just behind on three.
- FC Tokyo and Tochigi SC remain level on 42 points at the top of J2 after a goalless draw in Kumagaya on Sunday.


2014 FIFA World Cup qualifying results (AFC Third Round)
Group C
Japan 1-0 North Korea
Tajikistan 0-1 Uzbekistan
North Korea 1-0 Tajikistan
Uzbekistan 1-1 Japan

Kashiwa Reysol came back from two goals behind in an astonishing second half to condemn Kawasaki Frontale to a club record seventh straight defeat and maintain their challenge for J. League title glory.

After a goalless opening period, Takuro Yajima opened the scoring for Kawasaki five minutes after the restart with a low 25-yard volley, before Juninho doubled the visitors�f advantage with a fine solo effort just four minutes later.

Having fallen three points off the pace with defeat at new leaders Gamba Osaka in midweek, Kashiwa could ill afford another setback, and the recovery effort began on the hour mark when Masato Kudo headed home a cross from left-back Wataru Hashimoto.

Junya Tanaka then skilfully trapped a long pass from Akimi Barada to fire the home side level on 73 minutes, before sending the crowd into raptures five minutes later with another composed finish from Hashimoto�fs neat through ball.

Gamba retained their hold on top spot with a thumping 4-0 victory away to Kansai rivals Vissel Kobe, who had gone five games unbeaten going into the weekend.

In-form Brazilian marksman Rafinha turned provider for first Takuya Takei and then Kim Seung-Yong as the hosts struggled to live with the Osaka club�fs fast passing game. Lee Keun-Ho and Takahiro Futagawa later found the net to add gloss to an impressive team performance.

Champions Nagoya Grampus overcame the concession of an early Mike Havenaar opener to remain one point behind in second following a comfortable 4-1 home win over Ventforet Kofu.

Keiji Tamada and Joshua Kennedy scored in quick succession to turn the match on its head, before Kofu defender Daniel was dismissed for violent conduct and Jungo Fujimoto scored from the resulting free kick on the stroke of half-time.

The former Shimizu S-Pulse midfielder collected a pass from Kennedy to complete the scoring midway through the second half.

Yokohama F Marinos slipped three points off the pace, ahead of Kashiwa on goal difference, with a goalless draw in Shimizu on Saturday.

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Fourth-from-bottom Omiya Ardija finally recorded their first home win of the season at the twelfth attempt – deservedly beating Jubilo Iwata 2-0 to move seven points clear of Kofu in the final relegation position.

With the match still scoreless going into the final twenty minutes, Keigo Higashi expertly controlled a back header from Rafael to take two Iwata defenders out of the game on the turn, and fired the ball home past Yoshikatsu Kawaguchi.

Daigo Watanabe sealed the win soon afterwards with a perfectly placed side-footer from just outside the penalty area.

Omiya are now tied on 28 points with neighbours Urawa Reds, who conceded twice late on to lose 3-1 at Cerezo Osaka, and Albirex Niigata, who went down to a sole David Mujiri effort away to Sanfrecce Hiroshima.

Montedio Yamagata fell eleven points adrift of safety with ten games to play after a 2-1 loss at Vegalta Sendai, while Avispa Fukuoka were thumped 6-0 by Kashima Antlers to go fully 16 points behind Omiya – four more than they have accumulated in 24 matches so far this season.

Yuzo Tashiro and Yasushi Endo each netted braces for Kashima, with defenders Daiki Iwamasa and Koji Nakata both finding the scoresheet as well to strengthen their grasp on fifth position – albeit still nine points behind the top four.


TALKING POINTS
- Kawasaki Frontale midfielder Kengo Nakamura has been recalled to the Japan squad for the forthcoming World Cup qualifiers against North Korea and Uzbekistan. Urawa Reds forward Genki Haraguchi earns a first call-up, while Hiroshi Kiyotake retains his place after impressing in the recent friendly against South Korea.
- Shimizu S-Pulse have confirmed the surprise signing of former Arsenal and Sweden star Fredrik Ljungberg. The 34-year-old, whose former clubs also include Chicago Fire and Celtic, could be in line for a debut in the Shizuoka derby at Jubilo Iwata on 10 September.


J1 results (matchday 24)
Vegalta Sendai 2-1 Montedio Yamagata
Omiya Ardija 2-0 Jubilo Iwata
Shimizu S-Pulse 0-0 Yokohama F Marinos
Sanfrecce Hiroshima 1-0 Albirex Niigata
Kashiwa Reysol 3-2 Kawasaki Frontale
Cerezo Osaka 3-1 Urawa Reds
Vissel Kobe 0-4 Gamba Osaka
Kashima Antlers 6-0 Avispa Fukuoka
Nagoya Grampus 4-1 Ventforet Kofu

Gamba Osaka left it late to seal a 2-0 win over Kashiwa Reysol on Wednesday evening to move one point clear at the top of the J. League table.

In highly atypical fashion for a side that has now scored 57 goals but conceded 41 in 23 league matches, Gamba�fs second top-two battle in the space of seven days appeared headed for a 0-0 stalemate until Shohei Otsuka earned a lucky break nine minutes from time. The 21-year-old substitute�fs cross took a massive deflection off the head of Kashiwa winger Jorge Wagner and looped into the net over the helpless Kazushige Kirihata.

Within a minute, Brazilian teenager Afonso marked his debut with an assist for Shoki Hirai to make sure of the three points. The clean sheet is only Gamba�fs second of the season.

Nagoya Grampus also had their own share of fortune in coming from behind to win 2-1 at Kawasaki Frontale and move back up to second place. The hosts led through Junpei Kusukami until Yusuke Tanaka was harshly dismissed for a supposed handball in the penalty area. Joshua Kennedy converted from the spot and scored again three minutes later to complete the Grampus recovery.

Yokohama F Marinos are just behind on goal difference after a 2-1 victory over Cerezo Osaka, though the result was marred by a knee injury to star midfielder Shunsuke Nakamura.

Elsewhere, the status quo was maintained in the battle for survival as Ventforet Kofu drew 1-1 at home to Kashima Antlers, while Omiya Ardija emerged with a goalless draw from their trip to Albirex Niigata.


J1 results (matchday 23)
Montedio Yamagata 1-1 Shimizu S-Pulse
Urawa Reds 1-1 Sanfrecce Hiroshima
Kawasaki Frontale 1-2 Nagoya Grampus
Ventforet Kofu 1-1 Kashima Antlers
Albirex Niigata 0-0 Omiya Ardija
Jubilo Iwata 1-1 Vegalta Sendai
Gamba Osaka 2-0 Kashiwa Reysol
Avispa Fukuoka 2-2 Vissel Kobe
Yokohama F Marinos 2-1 Cerezo Osaka

Rafinha continued the dream start to his Gamba Osaka career with a second half hat-trick to help Akira Nishino�fs men to a typically goal-laden 6-3 victory over Kawasaki Frontale – a result that takes them to the summit of the J1 table.

Having missed the opportunity to go top on Wednesday following a dominant but ultimately frustrating 2-2 draw with previous leaders Nagoya Grampus, Gamba were quick out of the blocks on a rainy evening at Banpaku and led 2-0 inside half an hour through Shoki Hirai and Kim Seung-Yong.

Incredibly, Frontale recovered in even more rapid fashion to stun their hosts and lead 3-2 into the interval. Close-range efforts from Takuro Yajima and Kengo Nakamura soon levelled the scores before Koji Yamase fired home a cracking 25-yarder on the stroke of half time.

But the match turned Gamba�fs way again moments after the restart when the already-booked Yuki Saneto was harshly dismissed for a challenge on Hirai in the 18-yard area. Rafinha coolly converted from the spot, and despite strong Kawasaki resistance, Tomokazu Myojin finally put the Osaka side back in front from just outside the box on 78 minutes.

The Brazilian added the sixth and seventh goals since his mid-season transfer from Thespa Kusatsu late on to confirm a club record fifth straight league defeat for the visitors.

Nagoya slipped to third after their 16-game, three-month unbeaten run was surprisingly ended in a 1-0 home defeat to Vegalta Sendai – who were winless in nine before the Saturday evening encounter. Naoki Sugai struck the only goal on 17 minutes after Yoshiaki Ota�fs deflected shot had wrong-footed the entire Grampus defence.

Kashiwa Reysol endured a nervy 3-2 home win over bottom side Avispa Fukuoka to go second behind Gamba on goal difference, while fourth-placed Yokohama F Marinos left it late to seal a 1-0 victory over Jubilo Iwata. Shunsuke Nakamura saw his penalty saved by former Japan teammate Yoshikatsu Kawaguchi early in the second half, but Yuji Ono brilliantly controlled a long pass from Yuzo Kurihara to slot home the winner with six minutes remaining.

The results mean that the top four are now separated by just one point.

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Poor results for both Saitama clubs have potentially reignited the battle for survival, as fourth-from-bottom Omiya Ardija could only draw 1-1 at home to lowly Montedio Yamagata.

Substitute Naoki Ishihara looked to have set the Squirrels en route to a vital three points when he opened the scoring inside a minute of his arrival late in the second half, but Tetsuro Ota equalised soon afterwards to ensure that Yamagata at least remain within eight points of safety.

Omiya�fs margin for error over 16th position, however, has been reduced to just four points after neighbours Urawa Reds suffered a first ever defeat at the hands of Ventforet Kofu. Paulinho was the hero of the hour, registering two goals plus an assist for Mike Havenaar�fs tenth league strike of the season all before half time. Yosuke Kashiwagi and Sergio Escudero netted in reply as the Reds went down 3-2.

Elsewhere, Ryuji Bando came off the bench to score an 11-minute hat-trick as Cerezo Osaka played out a thrilling 3-3 draw away to Shimizu S-Pulse. The hosts led 1-0 for most of the game through Shinji Ono�fs early header but fell behind twice in a crazy final quarter of an hour, only to be rescued by equalisers from first Toshiyuki Takagi and finally Naohiro Takahara.

Kashima Antlers beat Sanfrecce Hiroshima 2-0 to seal their fifth straight league win and move up to fifth position, albeit fully nine points adrift of the leading quartet. Vissel Kobe rose to eighth after coming from behind to beat Albirex Niigata 2-1.


TALKING POINTS
- Japan�fs path through qualification for the 2014 World Cup has been smoothed with the news that Group C opponents Syria have been disqualified for fielding an ineligible player in the second round knockout phase. Their place will be taken by 142nd-ranked Tajikistan, who were awarded the tie by default having originally lost to the Syrians 6-1 on aggregate.
- FC Tokyo only lead Tokushima Vortis on goal difference at the head of J2 after a 2-1 loss at Tochigi SC, who are now a point behind in third.
- Makoto Hasebe scored the opening goal but could do little else to prevent VfL Wolfsburg losing 4-1 away to Borussia Mönchengladbach. Keisuke Honda converted a trademark free kick as CSKA Moscow beat Tom Tomsk 3-0 in the Russian Premier League.


J1 results (matchday 22)
Ventforet Kofu 3-2 Urawa Reds
Gamba Osaka 6-3 Kawasaki Frontale
Kashima Antlers 2-0 Sanfrecce Hiroshima
Shimizu S-Pulse 3-3 Cerezo Osaka
Omiya Ardija 1-1 Montedio Yamagata
Kashiwa Reysol 3-2 Avispa Fukuoka
Yokohama F Marinos 1-0 Jubilo Iwata
Nagoya Grampus 0-1 Vegalta Sendai
Vissel Kobe 2-1 Albirex Niigata


J1 result (matchday 9 – Wednesday 17 August)
Gamba Osaka 2-2 Nagoya Grampus

Nagoya Grampus and Gamba Osaka will play off for top spot in the J. League in their game in hand on Wednesday evening after both of the long-time top two suffered highly disappointing defeats over the O-Bon holiday weekend.

Having reclaimed first place in their summit battle with Yokohama F Marinos on matchday 20, Kashiwa Reysol were given the opportunity to extend their advantage when Kazushi Kimura�fs side surprisingly slipped to a 2-0 defeat at Vissel Kobe on Saturday evening.

But Reysol went down to a humiliating 6-1 thrashing 24 hours later at bogey team Jubilo Iwata, who had previously burst the early Kashiwa bubble with a 3-0 win at the Hitachi Stadium back in June.

Brazilian midfielder Rodrigo Souto was the hero for Jubilo with two debut goals following his recent arrival from São Paulo, with Shuto Yamamoto, Yoshiaki Fujita, and free-scoring rookie Hidetaka Kanazono also finding the net. Leandro Domingues had struck a fine equaliser late in the first half, but a miserable evening for Nelsinho Baptista�fs men was completed when the unfortunate Hiroki Sakai deflected the ball into his own goal four minutes from time.

The failings of their title rivals allowed defending champions Grampus to take over at the head of the table for the first time all season following a typically incisive 3-0 win away to fifth-placed Sanfrecce Hiroshima. Yoshizumi Ogawa combined well with Keiji Tamada and Joshua Kennedy to open the scoring midway through the first period, before the Australian pounced on a loose ball to double the lead on 39 minutes.

Kensuke Nagai netted his second in as many appearances just before full time to extend Nagoya�fs recent unbeaten run to 15 league matches, including now seven consecutive wins.

Gamba moved into third position, two points behind Grampus and ahead of Marinos on goal difference, despite only drawing 1-1 in the third Osaka derby of 2011 away to Cerezo Osaka. Despite early Gamba domination it was the home side who opened the scoring on 76 minutes through Kim Bo-Kyung following good work from Shu Kurata and new Japan international Hiroshi Kiyotake, but Sota Nakazawa headed the visitors back level just three minutes later from Yasuhito Endo�fs cross.

The results leave the top four fully eight points clear of the chasing pack.

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At the bottom, Masato Yamazaki struck his first and second goals since arriving on loan from Hiroshima to complete a 3-1 home victory for 17th-place Montedio Yamagata over 16th-place Ventforet Kofu. Paulinho had headed the away side in front shortly after the half hour mark, but Kazuya Maeda levelled just five minutes later to pave the way for Yamazaki�fs second half intervention.

The win takes Yamagata to within two points of their defeated opponents, who have now lost four games in a row and remain six points adrift of safety.

Avispa Fukuoka came from behind to beat Kawasaki Frontale 2-1 – giving new manager Tetsuya Asano his first points since replacing Yoshiyuki Shinoda earlier this month. The match appeared to be going to form when Yu Kobayashi struck for the ninth time this season after 25 minutes, but Avispa roared back in the second half and were rewarded with two well-taken goals by Hisashi Jogo.

Elsewhere, Mitsuru Nagata scored on his old home ground to help Urawa Reds to a 3-2 win at Albirex Niigata despite the concession of two penalties. Kashima Antlers won 1-0 at Vegalta Sendai – who are now winless in nine – to leapfrog their opponents into the top half of the table, while Shimizu S-Pulse hammered Omiya Ardija 3-0.


TALKING POINTS
- The Japan national team enjoyed their biggest victory over fierce rivals South Korea in 37 years with a storming 3-0 friendly win in Sapporo last Wednesday. Shinji Kagawa scored twice on his first cap since suffering a broken metatarsal against the Koreans in January�fs Asian Cup semi-final. Keisuke Honda also found the scoresheet, with Hiroshi Kiyotake registering two assists in an impressive debut as substitute.
- Takashi Usami made his competitive debut for Bayern Munich on Saturday, playing 24 minutes and helping the Bavarians to a dramatic 1-0 win at Makoto Hasebe�fs VfL Wolfsburg.


J1 results (matchday 21)
Shimizu S-Pulse 3-0 Omiya Ardija
Vegalta Sendai 0-1 Kashima Antlers
Montedio Yamagata 3-1 Ventforet Kofu
Cerezo Osaka 1-1 Gamba Osaka
Vissel Kobe 2-0 Yokohama F Marinos
Sanfrecce Hiroshima 0-3 Nagoya Grampus
Albirex Niigata 2-3 Urawa Reds
Jubilo Iwata 6-1 Kashiwa Reysol
Avispa Fukuoka 2-1 Kawasaki Frontale


International friendly result
Japan 3-0 South Korea

A minute of silence was observed before football matches throughout Japan over the weekend to mark the sudden, tragic passing of former international defender Naoki Matsuda.

The 34-year-old fell into cardiac arrest after collapsing during training on Tuesday with third-tier side Matsumoto Yamaga, whom he joined ahead of the current season. He was sadly pronounced dead in hospital on Thursday.

A highly popular figure throughout the Japanese game, Matsuda earned a total of 40 caps and played a major role in helping his country through to the knockout stages of the co-hosted World Cup in 2002. At club level, he spent his entire top-flight career with Yokohama F Marinos, making 385 J. League appearances across 16 seasons and winning three championship medals.

Marinos were knocked off the J1 summit in an emotionally-charged meeting of the top two at the Hitachi Stadium on Saturday. Long-time leaders Kashiwa Reysol came out of the blocks quickly to open the scoring through Leandro Domingues�fs 20-yard effort on just eight minutes, before left-back Jorge Wagner charged through on the overlap to make sure of the points midway through the second half.

The 2-0 victory puts Kashiwa back in front by a single point.

Reigning champions Nagoya Grampus came from a goal behind to beat Jubilo Iwata 2-1 and move to within two points of first place. A 73rd-minute strike from Kensuke Nagai – his first ever in the J. League – was enough to secure victory after Yoshizumi Ogawa had earlier cancelled out Hidetaka Kanazono�fs opener for Jubilo.

A third goal in three appearances for new Brazilian forward Rafinha helped Gamba Osaka on their way to a straightforward 2-0 win at home to bottom club Avispa Fukuoka. Akira Nishino�fs side remain in fourth position, separated from Grampus on goal difference alone – with the pair set to meet at Banpaku in their game in hand on 17 August.

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Vissel Kobe completed the double over Urawa Reds for a second straight season with a dramatic 3-2 victory at the Saitama Stadium. Takayuki Yoshida, who was born on the same day as his late friend Matsuda, netted a brace for the second week in succession to give the visitors a 2-0 lead within 19 minutes, but Urawa slowly found their way back into the game and pulled level through Tatsuya Tanaka and Mazola.

However, Vissel were awarded a penalty deep into second half stoppage time when Hideo Tanaka was clumsily felled by Marcio Richardes. Yoshito Okubo stepped up to calmly convert with minimal power from the spot.

The result saw the Reds leapfrogged not only by their opponents, but also by fellow surprise strugglers Kashima Antlers and Cerezo Osaka after wins over Montedio Yamagata and Kawasaki Frontale, respectively. A 2-0 home defeat for 16th-placed Ventforet Kofu against Sanfrecce Hiroshima, however, means that the current bottom three remain well adrift of safety.

Omiya Ardija are now the closest target after surrendering a 2-0 lead to draw 2-2 with Vegalta Sendai despite a debut goal from Rodrigo Pimpão, who until recently was on loan at Cerezo from parent side Vasco da Gama. At the foot of a cluster of nine teams separated by just five points, the Squirrels are nonetheless still six points clear of Kofu.

Elsewhere, Albirex Niigata thumped Shimizu S-Pulse 4-0 to move into the top half of the table thanks to a Michael brace and further goals from Cho Young-Cheol and Kazuhiko Chiba.


TALKING POINTS
- Shinji Okazaki scored a spectacular 20-yard goal to help VfB Stuttgart to a 3-0 win over Schalke 04 on the opening weekend of the Bundesliga season in Germany. The forward is one of 14 overseas-based players in the Japan squad for Wednesday�fs friendly meeting with South Korea in Sapporo.
- Matsumoto Yamaga were narrowly beaten 2-1 at home to Japan Football League leaders Sagawa Shiga in front of 9,890 people at their Alwin stadium.


J1 results (matchday 20)
Kashima Antlers 3-1 Montedio Yamagata
Ventforet Kofu 0-2 Sanfrecce Hiroshima
Urawa Reds 2-3 Vissel Kobe
Kashiwa Reysol 2-0 Yokohama F Marinos
Kawasaki Frontale 1-2 Cerezo Osaka
Albirex Niigata 4-0 Shimizu S-Pulse
Gamba Osaka 2-0 Avispa Fukuoka
Omiya Ardija 2-2 Vegalta Sendai
Nagoya Grampus 2-1 Jubilo Iwata

Takashi Inui scored a fine solo goal to open the scoring but was ultimately unable to prevent Cerezo Osaka going down 3-1 at home to Kashima Antlers on his final appearance before signing for 2. Bundesliga side VfL Bochum.

Kashima had been hammered 4-1 in their game in hand at home to Cerezo�fs city rivals Gamba on Wednesday, and looked on course to be thrown into even deeper relegation danger when Inui burst through the defence to fire home from outside the area on 22 minutes.

But the hosts surrendered their advantage in bizarre fashion soon afterwards. Goalkeeper Kim Jin-Hyun calmly dropped the ball at his feet to prepare a clearance – entirely unaware that Antlers forward Yuzo Tashiro was waiting just behind him to steal in for a humiliating equaliser.

Tashiro struck again in first-half stoppage time when Kim Jin-Hyun hesitated to come for a high ball, leaving the 29-year-old with a simple headed finish.

Cerezo earned a golden chance to equalise in the second period when midfielder Kim Bo-Kyung – who has been linked with Stoke City – was pulled down in the penalty area by Toru Araiba. Despite the angry claims of Inui, the Korean stepped up himself but could only hit a tame shot into the grateful arms of Hitoshi Sogahata.

A nightmare evening for the Kims was completed in the final seconds, as Mitsuo Ogasawara spotted Jin-Hyun well off his line and calmly scored Kashima�fs third from just inside the centre circle.

The result takes Oswaldo de Oliveira�fs side up to 12th on goal difference, with Cerezo a point worse off but now just one place above the drop zone after Vissel Kobe overcame Ventforet Kofu 4-2 in another relegation clash 24 hours earlier.

Kobe stormed into a 3-0 lead in 49 minutes thanks to Yosuke Ishibitsu�fs first goal in two years and Takayuki Yoshida�fs first and second of the season, but were made to sweat when Kofu quickly hit back through Paulinho and Kim Jin-Kyu.

Hideo Tanaka finally sealed the win from close range late on, leaving his side one goal behind Kashima while Kofu are now four points adrift of safety.

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Yokohama F Marinos extended their advantage at the top to two points with a 2-1 home win over Omiya Ardija, as Kashiwa Reysol drew a blank away to Vegalta Sendai.

Kota Ueda crossed for Rafael to give Ardija a first-half lead at a rainy Nissan Stadium, but two headed goals from Masashi Oguro within 20 minutes of the restart secured a vital 12th league victory of the season for Kazushi Kimura�fs men.

Nagoya Grampus remain third, four points off the top with a game in hand, after a comfortable 3-0 victory at bottom side Avispa Fukuoka extended their winning streak to five and their unbeaten run to 13 league matches.

Following last weekend�fs 2-2 draw at Banpaku, Gamba Osaka finally held onto a one-goal lead over Jubilo Iwata at the fourth attempt in a 2-1 away victory on Saturday. Having registered one goal and two assists in an explosive midweek debut as substitute in Kashima, new signing Rafinha again came off the bench to head home the winner from Hayato Sasaki�fs cross.

The top four now have a six-point cushion over the rest after Kawasaki Frontale fell to their second defeat against Urawa Reds within the space of 17 days. An own goal by the unfortunate Takanobu Komiyama was enough to relieve some of the pressure on Urawa boss Željko Petrović, whose side move to tenth – heading a congested bottom half of the table.

Albirex Niigata eased their relegation fears with a 1-0 win at second-from-bottom Montedio Yamagata, while Sanfrecce Hiroshima crushed 10-man Shimizu S-Pulse 4-0.


TALKING POINTS
- Japan have been given a tough draw in the third round of Asian qualifying for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. Alberto Zaccheroni�fs side will face North Korea, Uzbekistan, and Syria in Group C with the top two nations progressing to the final round-robin stage.
- Ahead of their league encounter last night, Vegalta Sendai edged Kashiwa Reysol 2-1 on Wednesday to secure progression to the second round of the Yamazaki Nabisco Cup. Urawa Reds, Kawasaki Frontale, Shimizu S-Pulse, Yokohama F Marinos, and Jubilo Iwata also successfully negotiated their respective ties.
- Tokushima Vortis are the new leaders of J2 after FC Tokyo missed a penalty and slipped to a 1-0 defeat at Giravanz Kitakyushu.


J1 results (matchday 19)
Montedio Yamagata 0-1 Albirex Niigata
Kawasaki Frontale 0-1 Urawa Reds
Yokohama F Marinos 2-1 Omiya Ardija
Jubilo Iwata 1-2 Gamba Osaka
Vissel Kobe 4-2 Ventforet Kofu
Sanfrecce Hiroshima 4-0 Shimizu S-Pulse
Cerezo Osaka 1-3 Kashima Antlers
Vegalta Sendai 0-0 Kashiwa Reysol
Avispa Fukuoka 0-3 Nagoya Grampus


J1 results (matchday 10 – Wednesday 27 July)
Kashima Antlers 1-4 Gamba Osaka


Yamazaki Nabisco Cup first round second leg results
Vegalta Sendai 2-1 Kashiwa Reysol (Sendai win 3-1 on aggregate)
Montedio Yamagata 1-2 Urawa Reds (Urawa win 4-1 on aggregate)
Kawasaki Frontale 3-1 Sanfrecce Hiroshima (Kawasaki win 5-3 on aggregate)
Shimizu S-Pulse 2-0 Ventforet Kofu (Shimizu win 2-1 on aggregate)
Vissel Kobe 1-2 Yokohama F Marinos (Yokohama win 3-2 on aggregate)
Avispa Fukuoka 0-3 Jubilo Iwata (Iwata win 5-0 on aggregate)

Avispa Fukuoka�fs hopes of staging a comeback for J1 survival in the second half of season took a heavy blow yesterday evening with a 2-0 defeat at home to second-from-bottom Montedio Yamagata.

The Kyushu club had looked well out of their depth as they marked their return to the top flight with nine defeats from their opening nine matches, but a return of eight points from as many games since suggested that the ship had finally been steadied. Indeed, it was Yamagata who entered this relegation clash in danger of freefall after five consecutive losses.

There were promising signs for Avispa in the opening stages, with Takuya Matsuura breaking through for an early opportunity only to fire tamely at visiting goalkeeper Kenta Shimizu.

But the hosts flattered to deceive and were once again made to pay as Masaru Akiba expertly fired Montedio in front with a low, left-footed strike from the 18-yard line after half an hour.

With Avispa struggling to regain momentum thereafter, substitute Yu Hasegawa made sure of three valuable points midway through the second half with a diving header to meet Tatsuya Ishikawa�fs corner.

The result leaves Yamagata seven points adrift of safety, with Fukuoka four further back and still at the foot of the table.

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Second-placed Kashiwa Reysol clinched a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Kashima Antlers to push the seven-time Japanese champions back to within two points of the drop zone – albeit with two games in hand.

Hideaki Kitajima latched onto a Leandro Domingues cross from deep to open the scoring after 33 minutes. Yuzo Tashiro levelled for the Antlers with a close-range header from Takuya Nozawa�fs free kick early in the second half, but Domingues fired home the winner ten minutes before the final whistle with a low shot from just outside the D.

Yokohama F Marinos retained top spot on goal difference by beating fourth-from-bottom Vissel Kobe 1-0 through Shingo Hyodo�fs second-half volley.

Nagoya Grampus remain just behind the top two in third position after extending their winning streak to four – and their unbeaten run to 12 – with an entertaining 3-2 victory over Sanfrecce Hiroshima. Marcus Tulio Tanaka netted for the first time this season to level the scores at 1-1 early on, while the third goal, a header from Takahiro Masukawa, was the 1,000th in Grampus club history.

Tulio�fs former club Urawa Reds overcame the 12th-minute dismissal of goalkeeper Nobuhiro Kato to pull four points clear of Ventforet Kofu in the final relegation spot with a 2-0 win at Saitama Stadium. Inspired by the midfield duo of Takashi Inui and Kim Bo-Kyung, Cerezo Osaka thrashed Shimizu S-Pulse 4-0 to move up to 11th ahead of Urawa on goal difference.

Omiya Ardija are now in tenth after Lee Chun-Soo headed in a cross from Kota Ueda for the only goal away to Vegalta Sendai, whose title challenge appears in tatters after a first home loss of 2011 extended their winless run to six.

Elsewhere, fourth-placed Kawasaki Frontale went down 1-0 at struggling Albirex Niigata to extend their record of never having prevailed at the Big Swan Stadium. Gamba Osaka in fifth could only draw 2-2 at home to Jubilo Iwata – their second straight disappointment since the departure of Takashi Usami to Bayern Munich.


TALKING POINTS
- A week on from Japan�fs historic Women�fs World Cup victory in Germany, a crowd of 17,812 was present to witness the resumption of the domestic Nadeshiko League in Kobe. Shinobu Ohno scored twice as an INAC Kobe Leonessa side also featuring six other World Cup winners beat Karina Maruyama�fs JEF United Ichihara Chiba Ladies 2-0.
- The Chiba men�fs team held onto second place in J2 with a 2-0 win over Consadole Sapporo, while leaders FC Tokyo thrashed Roasso Kumamoto 5-0.
- Cerezo Osaka have decided not to take up their option to extend the loan of striker Rodrigo Pimpão from Vasco da Gama.


J1 results (matchday 6)
Urawa Reds 2-0 Ventforet Kofu
Kashiwa Reysol 2-1 Kashima Antlers
Yokohama F Marinos 1-0 Vissel Kobe
Albirex Niigata 1-0 Kawasaki Frontale
Nagoya Grampus 3-2 Sanfrecce Hiroshima
Gamba Osaka 2-2 Jubilo Iwata
Cerezo Osaka 4-0 Shimizu S-Pulse
Vegalta Sendai 0-1 Omiya Ardija
Avispa Fukuoka 0-2 Montedio Yamagata

Nadeshiko Japan are world champions for the first time ever following a dramatic 3-1 penalty shootout victory over the United States in the final of the 2011 FIFA Women�fs World Cup in Frankfurt on Sunday.

Bidding to become the first three-time winners in the tournament�fs history, the Americans led twice through Alex Morgan and Abby Wambach, but were pegged back by late goals first from Aya Miyama to take the game into extra time, and finally from Japanese captain Homare Sawa in the 117th minute.

Ayumi Kaihori was then the hero of the shootout, saving twice as the Nadeshiko players held their nerve to the very end.

Having never previously lost to Japan in 25 meetings, the United States began the final as clear favourites and dominated the opening half hour – coming closest to scoring when Wambach smacked the crossbar from the edge of the box – before Norio Sasaki�fs side slowly found their feet towards the interval.

The second half began in similar style with Japan again saved by the woodwork – this time from Morgan – but the Americans finally found their way in front after 69 minutes. A long ball from Megan Rapinoe caught the Nadeshiko back line flat footed, allowing Morgan to break through and fire superbly past the helpless Kaihori.

But Japan quickly rediscovered their momentum and their persistence paid off as calamitous defending allowed Miyama to steal in and scramble home an equaliser with nine minutes left on the clock.

Though the goal seemed to instil greater confidence throughout the Nadeshiko side, the United States once again enjoyed a strong start in extra time and forced their way back in front at the end of the first additional period. After Sawa had failed to clear, Morgan found space to cross for Wambach to head home her fourth goal of the competition.

Sawa made amends in spectacular fashion, however, just as the trophy seemed to slipping from Japan�fs grasp. The 32-year-old dashed to the near post to meet a corner from Miyama and somehow fire an impossible-looking volley beyond four American shirts to dramatically level the scores at 2-2.

The late excitement handed the psychological advantage to Japan, and after Kaihori brilliantly extended her right leg to block Shannon Boxx�fs opening penalty, Carli Lloyd blazed over with America�fs second. Hope Solo then saved from Yuki Nagasato, but when Kaihori repeated her heroics to deny Tobin Heath, Saki Kumagai stepped up to fire the Nadeshiko to glory.

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Speaking at a press conference upon the new world champions�f return to Japan earlier today, Sasaki admitted that Sawa�fs last-gasp wonder goal had filled his team with confidence ahead of the shootout.

�gThe United States must have thought they had won it,�h said the manager, �gbut then it was like we received a blessing from the heavens. We just couldn�ft stop smiling – so much so that I just wanted to stand there laughing and joking!�h

Sawa picked up the Golden Boot with five goals and the Golden Ball as the World Cup�fs best player; as well as both the winners�f trophy and the Fair Play Award on behalf of her teammates.

She commented, �gIt has been a long road getting here, but I am glad we never gave up and finally realised our dream of becoming number one in the world. We did it thanks to the great support of our fans; I hope that we will be able to have the Women�fs World Cup hosted here in Japan in future.�h

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The J. League has a new leader for the first time since early May as Kashiwa Reysol went down to a dramatic 3-2 defeat at Kawasaki Frontale on Saturday.

Close-range strikes from Takuro Yajima and Yu Kobayashi gave Frontale a 2-0 first half lead, which was then wiped out in the second by a Yusuke Kikuchi own goal and an instinctive equaliser from Leandro Domingues.

But with just six minutes remaining, Satoshi Kukino was felled in the area by Naoya Kondo, allowing Juninho to fire home the winner from the spot.

The result allowed Yokohama F Marinos to take over at the top on goal difference despite only drawing 1-1 at Omiya Ardija 24 hours later. Yuji Ono�fs first half opener for the visitors was cancelled out on 74 minutes by Rafael.

Champions Nagoya Grampus are now lurking ominously in third, four points behind the top two with a game in hand, after a comfortable 2-0 win away at second-from-bottom Montedio Yamagata. Gamba Osaka missed the chance to climb the table with a surprise 4-3 defeat at Ventforet Kofu.

Having recorded only their second win of the season against Omiya on Wednesday, Avispa Fukuoka were denied a third – which would have taken them off the foot of the table – when Kentaro Shigematsu�fs injury-time strike hit the post in a creditable 0-0 draw with Sanfrecce Hiroshima.

Elsewhere, a 93rd-minute Ryoichi Maeda penalty rescued a 1-1 draw for Jubilo Iwata at home to Urawa Reds. Shizuoka neighbours Shimizu S-Pulse rose to sixth with a 2-1 win over Albirex Niigata, while Vegalta Sendai were beaten 3-0 at Kashima Antlers.

Vissel Kobe thrashed Kansai rivals Cerezo Osaka 4-1 in the weekend�fs remaining fixture.


J1 results (matchday 5)
Ventforet Kofu 4-3 Gamba Osaka
Shimizu S-Pulse 2-1 Albirex Niigata
Kawasaki Frontale 3-2 Kashiwa Reysol
Vissel Kobe 4-1 Cerezo Osaka
Kashima Antlers 3-0 Vegalta Sendai
Jubilo Iwata 1-1 Urawa Reds
Montedio Yamagata 0-2 Nagoya Grampus
Omiya Ardija 1-1 Yokohama F Marinos
Sanfrecce Hiroshima 0-0 Avispa Fukuoka


J1 results (matchday 4 – Wednesday 13 July)
Urawa Reds 2-0 Kawasaki Frontale
Kashiwa Reysol 3-1 Sanfrecce Hiroshima
Yokohama F Marinos 2-1 Montedio Yamagata
Nagoya Grampus 2-1 Kashima Antlers
Gamba Osaka 3-2 Vissel Kobe
Cerezo Osaka 2-3 Jubilo Iwata
Avispa Fukuoka 1-0 Omiya Ardija
Vegalta Sendai 0-0 Shimizu S-Pulse


FIFA Women�fs World Cup 2011
Semi-finals
France 1-3 United States
Japan 3-1 Sweden

Final
Japan 2-2 United States (after extra time; Japan win 3-1 on penalties)