Football Japan Minutecast

Masakatsu Sawa struck deep into injury-time to maintain Kashiwa Reysol�fs narrow advantage at the head of the J1 table with a 1-0 victory over fellow title challengers Vegalta Sendai.

Reeling from a 5-0 thrashing at Cerezo Osaka the previous weekend, Nelsinho Baptista�fs side went into their clash with third-placed Sendai knowing any further slipups could see them knocked off top spot for the first time since early May.

With second-placed Yokohama F Marinos coming from behind to lead 2-1 at Jubilo Iwata through Kazuma Watanabe and a Shunsuke Nakamura penalty, a change in positions indeed looked the likeliest outcome as the match in Kashiwa ground closer to a frustrating stalemate.

But with 94 minutes on the clock, a pinpoint cross from Japan U-22 international Hiroki Sakai found an unmarked Sawa at the far post, who headed past Takuto Hayashi to mark his first start of the season with his first ever top flight goal.

There was more late drama at the opposite end of the table as seven-times J. League champions Kashima Antlers slipped to within two points and three places of the relegation zone with a 2-1 home defeat at the hands of Albirex Niigata.

The struggling giants took the lead through a Takuya Nozawa penalty early in the second half, but soon surrendered their advantage as Bruno Lopes was allowed to level from the spot just three minutes later.

Then, with only two minutes remaining, Brazilian forward Michael found space to cross for fellow substitute Cho Young-Cheol to dramatically head home from two yards on his return from a six-week hamstring injury. The victory takes Albirex, who had fallen into trouble themselves with a midweek loss at home to Ventforet Kofu, ahead of Kashima into 11th position.

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Elsewhere, three 30-somethings each demonstrated that age and experience have yet to blunt their talents with spectacular long-range goals to help their respective sides to single-goal victories.

Junichi Inamoto�fs 25-yard rocket was the highlight as Kawasaki Frontale eased into a 3-0 lead over bottom side Avispa Fukuoka, with Kengo Nakamura also finding the net on his 200th J1 appearance. A late brace from Avispa striker Hideya Okamoto made for a grandstand finish, but Frontale held on to move up to third in the table.

Earlier on Saturday evening, Shinji Ono had rolled back the years with an even better strike from fully 30 yards to open the scoring in a 2-1 win for Shimizu S-Pulse away in Kofu. The former Feyenoord and Japan star was later dispossessed in the build-up for Paulinho to equalise, but Genki Omae restored the visitors�f advantage on the stroke of half-time.

Not to be outdone, fellow ex-international midfielder Naoshi Nakamura also struck late on from outside the penalty area to give Nagoya Grampus an unconvincing 1-0 win away to Vissel Kobe, who are now winless in nine. The reigning champions move up to seventh with one game in hand.

For the second time in two weekends, Cerezo Osaka took advantage of a first-half sending off for two yellow cards in quick succession to march to victory over one of the top five. Kazuyuki Morisaki of Sanfrecce Hiroshima was the guilty party on this occasion with the scores at 1-1; Cerezo then raced into a decisive 3-1 lead six minutes into the second period through Hiroshi Kiyotake and Rui Komatsu.

The result also helped neighbours Gamba Osaka into fourth – with two games still in hand – after overcoming Omiya Ardija 3-2 following a ding-dong battle at the NACK5 Stadium. Omiya remain the only J1 club without a home league win all season, but curiously are yet to lose away.


TALKING POINTS
- Nadeshiko Japan are into the semi-finals of the FIFA Women�fs World Cup for the first time ever after a dramatic extra-time victory over hosts and holders Germany. Karina Maruyama netted from a narrow angle after 108 minutes to set up a last four meeting with Sweden in Frankfurt on Wednesday.
- The English Northern League Division Two club Birtley Town was the unlikely host for a charity match played on Saturday in aid of a Japanese community and football club devastated by the earthquake and tsunami four months ago today. The Northern League Fans beat a Football Writers side 6-3 as part of a campaign by the UK-based Onagawa Supporters to raise money for Cobaltore Onagawa – a football club at the centre of efforts to rebuild and inspire the small coastal town of Onagawa in Miyagi Prefecture.

Visit http://onagawasupporters.com/ to read more about and donate to this campaign.


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


J1 results (matchday 4 – Wednesday 6 July)
Albirex Niigata 1-2 Ventforet Kofu


FIFA Women�fs World Cup 2011
Group B
Japan 0-2 England

Quarter-finals
England 1-1 France (after extra time; France win 4-3 on penalties)
Germany 0-1 Japan (after extra time)
Sweden 3-1 Australia
Brazil 2-2 United States (after extra time; United States win 5-3 on penalties)

Yokohama F Marinos moved to within a point of the J. League summit after coming from behind to beat Kawasaki Frontale 2-1 in yesterday�fs Kanagawa derby, as leaders Kashiwa Reysol slumped to a calamitous 5-0 defeat at Cerezo Osaka.

Level on points going into their clash at the Nissan Stadium in Yokohama, both Marinos and Frontale knew victory would give a real boost to their title challenge as the halfway point in the season approaches, and it was the visitors who drew first blood in bizarre fashion midway through the opening period. Kosei Shibasaki cracked a shot off Hiroki Iikura�fs right-hand post, but the ball then struck the unfortunate goalkeeper on the rebound and bounced back into the Marinos net.

The home side rallied to equalise before half time, however – Masashi Oguro expertly controlling a long pass from Yuzo Kurihara to fire past Takashi Aizawa – and completed the comeback through a piece of Kazuma Watanabe inspiration on 71 minutes. The forward collected the ball in midfield from Yuji Nakazawa, and launched an unstoppable effort beyond Aizawa from fully 25 yards.

Reysol�fs collapse in Osaka 24 hours earlier was the heaviest yet of three big losses in five that have left Nelsinho Baptista�fs side open to real scrutiny. Cerezo raced into a 2-0 lead inside 24 minutes through Takashi Inui and Rodrigo Pimpão, before Kashiwa midfielder Leandro Domingues foolishly picked up two yellow cards in quick succession to render a recovery virtually impossible for the long-time surprise J1 leaders.

Further goals in the second half from Martinez, Ryuji Bando, and Shu Kurata completed a five-goal rout that was also Cerezo�fs first home league win of 2011.

The other Osaka club, Gamba, are now five points off the top with two games in hand despite only drawing 1-1 away to fierce rivals Urawa Reds. Takashi Usami slotted the visitors in front on his antepenultimate appearance before moving to Bayern Munich, but Genki Haraguchi headed in a pinpoint cross from Shunki Takahashi to give the Reds a deserved point.

Vegalta Sendai are third after a 1-1 draw at home to champions Nagoya Grampus, with Sanfrecce Hiroshima back up to fourth after Kohei Morita�fs header gave them a 1-0 win at Omiya Ardija. Sanfrecce had goalkeeper Shusaku Nishikawa to thank for denying Ardija striker Rafael from the penalty spot.

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Bottom club Avispa Fukuoka finally have their first win and first home points of the season after deservedly beating Ventforet Kofu 1-0 at the Level-5 Stadium. Hisashi Jogo squared for Yusuke Tanaka to coolly convert the game�fs only goal after 16 minutes, though Avispa had several chances to extend their lead before the final whistle.

Albirex Niigata gave themselves valuable breathing space ahead of the relegation zone with a first win in ten league matches; Atomu Tanaka scoring early on in both halves to seal a 2-0 victory over second-from bottom Montedio Yamagata.

The results leave Fukuoka, Yamagata, and Kofu still adrift of the rest on four, eight, and 11 points respectively. Urawa drop back down to 15th position on 13, with Niigata now two points better off in 14th.

Jubilo Iwata trounced Vissel Kobe 3-0 and Shimizu S-Pulse played out a scoreless draw with Kashima Antlers in the weekend�fs remaining top flight fixtures.


TALKING POINTS
- �eNadeshiko Japan�f secured their place in the last eight of the Women�fs World Cup in Germany with a game to spare after a maximum six points from their opening two Group B matches. A Homare Sawa hat-trick was the undoubted highlight as Japan thrashed Mexico 4-0 in Leverkusen on Friday – four days after opening with a 2-1 win over New Zealand.
- Japan�fs thrilling run in the FIFA U-17 World Cup in Mexico came to an end with a 3-2 quarter-final defeat to Brazil yesterday evening.
- JEF United Chiba returned to the top of J2 by winning 2-1 at Kataller Toyama, as Tochigi SC could only draw 1-1 at home to Consadole Sapporo.


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

Despite the loss of J1 top scorer Adriano, Gamba Osaka rediscovered their explosive touch of old to continue their steady rise up their table – winning two matches in four days by a combined score of nine goals to five.

Buoyed by a 4-2 victory away to leaders Kashiwa Reysol in a classic midweek encounter, Akira Nishino�fs side leapfrogged Sanfrecce Hiroshima into fifth position following an even more improbable 5-3 goalfest at Banpaku yesterday evening.

A powerful header from Sota Nakazawa and a 20-yard effort by Yasuhito Endo gave the hosts a 2-0 lead before Koji Morisaki pulled one back for Hiroshima against the run of play on the stroke of half-time. Shoki Hirai eased Gamba nerves with his second goal of the week ten minutes after the restart, and though Koji Nakajima briefly reduced the deficit again, further late goals from Hayato Sasaki and Kazumichi Takagi put the Osaka club out of sight. Sanfrecce�fs former Georgian international David Mujiri scored an injury-time consolation.

A second home defeat in seven days had reduced Kashiwa�fs cushion at the top to just one point, but Nelsinho Baptista�fs men restored their four-point margin on Saturday with a 4-1 thrashing of third-from-bottom Ventforet Kofu. Junya Tanaka scored twice in the first half – the first a real scorcher from 25 yards – and former São Paulo left-back Jorge Wagner netted two direct free-kicks after Mike Havenaar had momentarily restored hope for Kofu.

Vegalta Sendai missed out on a joint J. League record of 13 matches unbeaten from the start of the season and slipped down to fourth in the table by virtue of a 1-0 defeat away to Shimizu S-Pulse. The visitors had a number of chances to take the lead before Alex Brosque connected with a Kosuke Ota cross to hit the game�fs only goal nine minutes from full-time.

Yokohama F Marinos took advantage to move into second on goal difference by winning 2-0 away at Montedio Yamagata. Yuzo Kurihara�fs first half opener was the Marinos�f 1000th goal since the league first kicked off in 1993.

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Elsewhere, Kawasaki Frontale came back from two goals down to move into third place – level on points with Yokohama and Sendai – with a 2-2 draw away to Kashima Antlers. Lucky charm Yu Kobayashi scrambled home a 95th-minute equaliser to complete an unlikely recovery after first-half goals from Yuzo Tashiro and Koji Nakata had looked set to give the Antlers their third straight win, especially when Jun Sonoda saw red for the visitors with the score still 2-0.

Urawa Reds left it even later to secure a point at champions Nagoya Grampus. Having finally pulled away from the bottom three with a comfortable home win over hapless Avispa Fukuoka in midweek, Urawa trailed to Ryota Isomura�fs third goal in three until the award of a controversial, last-gasp penalty for an alleged handball by Mitsuru Chiyotanda. Brazilian forward Mazola coolly converted past substitute goalkeeper Yoshinari Takagi to equalise with 99 minutes on the clock.

Avispa put in a battling performance at home to Jubilo Iwata on Saturday but still went down 2-1, leaving them cast adrift at the bottom with just one point from a possible 39. Albirex Niigata are just a point clear of danger after drawing 1-1 at home to Cerezo Osaka – Noriyuki Sakemoto eventually netting a deserved equaliser for the visitors in the third minute of second half stoppage time.

Omiya Ardija came from behind to draw 1-1 with Vissel Kobe in Sunday�fs remaining fixture.


TALKING POINTS
- Japan�fs U-22 national team will compete in the final round of Asian qualifying for the London Olympic Games despite a 2-1 loss in Kuwait on Thursday. �eSekizuka Japan�f led 3-1 from last weekend�fs first leg to progress 4-3 on aggregate.
- The country�fs best female players kick off their 2011 FIFA Women�fs World Cup campaign against New Zealand in Bochum later today. �eNadeshiko Japan�f have been drawn in Group B, also alongside Mexico and England.
- Takashi Usami�fs long-awaited transfer to Bayern Munich has finally been confirmed with an official announcement and press conference at Gamba Osaka this afternoon. The 19-year-old will leave Gamba on an initial year-long loan after the home match with Vissel Kobe on 13 July.


J1 results (matchday 18 – Saturday 25 June)
Kashima Antlers 2-2 Kawasaki Frontale
Ventforet Kofu 1-4 Kashiwa Reysol
Albirex Niigata 1-1 Cerezo Osaka
Nagoya Grampus 1-1 Urawa Reds
Avispa Fukuoka 1-2 Jubilo Iwata
Gamba Osaka 5-3 Sanfrecce Hiroshima
Shimizu S-Pulse 1-0 Vegalta Sendai
Montedio Yamagata 0-2 Yokohama F Marinos
Omiya Ardija 1-1 Vissel Kobe


J1 results (matchday 17 – Wednesday 22 June)
Vegalta Sendai 4-0 Ventforet Kofu
Urawa Reds 3-0 Avispa Fukuoka
Kashiwa Reysol 2-4 Gamba Osaka
Shimizu S-Pulse 2-3 Kawasaki Frontale
Jubilo Iwata 1-2 Omiya Ardija
Cerezo Osaka 2-3 Nagoya Grampus
Vissel Kobe 0-1 Kashima Antlers
Sanfrecce Hiroshima 3-2 Montedio Yamagata
Yokohama F Marinos 1-0 Albirex Niigata

Kawasaki Frontale and Shimizu S-Pulse each picked up a maximum six points in the first of a series of J1 double-headers to be played throughout the busy summer weeks.

Fresh from a crushing 5-0 victory away to Omiya Ardija last Wednesday, Frontale completed consecutive wins for the first time this season by beating Sanfreece Hiroshima 2-0 at Todoroki. Takuro Yajima volleyed past Shusaku Nishikawa with the outside of his right boot to open the scoring after 35 minutes, before crossing for defender Kosuke Kikuchi to head home on the breakaway early in the second period.

After a slow start to the campaign, the Kawasaki side are now unbeaten in six and leapfrog Sanfrecce into third position.

S-Pulse followed up a narrow 2-1 win over struggling Montedio Yamagata in midweek by defeating Urawa Reds 3-1 in Saitama. Former Reds and Japan forward Naohiro Takahara headed in the visitors�f second in between two spectacular long-range free kicks from Eddy Bosnar.

The result lifts Afshin Ghotbi�fs men into the top half of the table, with Urawa now three points adrift of safety in 16th position.

Second-placed Vegalta Sendai left it late to preserve the J. League�fs sole remaining unbeaten record as they fought back to draw 1-1 away to Albirex Niigata. Trailing into the fifth minute of second-half stoppage time, Toshihiro Matsushita headed a Kunimitsu Sekiguchi cross back across goal for Naoki Sugai to scramble in a dramatic last-gasp equaliser.

Yuta Mikado�fs 72nd-minute strike had looked set to give the hosts only their third win of the season.

Vegalta fall back to four points behind leaders Kashiwa Reysol, who recovered from a humbling 3-0 home defeat to Jubilo Iwata with a comfortable 2-0 victory at bottom club Avispa Fukuoka. The team from Kyushu have lost all five home matches since returning to the top flight, but were at least able to pick up their first point of 2011 with a goalless draw at Vissel Kobe on Wednesday.

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Nagoya Grampus were left rueing a missed opportunity to continue their recent revival after blowing a two-goal lead to draw 2-2 at home to Omiya. The reigning champions, who had thrashed Niigata 4-0 in midweek, led through Ryota Isomura and a Joshua Kennedy penalty but were pegged back by the first and second ever goals of Ardija midfielder Takuya Aoki�fs professional career.

Gamba Osaka overcame Yokohama F Marinos by 2-1 to record their first win in almost a month and move into eighth place in the process. Yasuhito Endo deceived everybody by firing a free kick straight in from a narrow angle after just nine minutes, before sending across a wicked corner for Satoshi Yamaguchi to head in at the near post later in the half.

Kashima Antlers and Cerezo Osaka each pulled clear of the relegation zone with 2-0 victories against Jubilo Iwata and Ventforet Kofu, respectively.

Yamagata remain second from bottom but pulled level on eight points with Urawa after beating Vissel Kobe by a similar scoreline.


TALKING POINTS
- The Japan U-22 side beat their Kuwaiti counterparts 3-1 in an Olympic qualifier at the Toyota Stadium on Sunday. Goals from Hiroshi Kiyotake, Mizuki Hamada, and Yuya Osako helped Takashi Sekizuka�fs side into a commanding lead ahead of this Thursday�fs second leg in Hawalli. The winners of the tie will progress to the final Asian qualifying round.
- J1 top scorer Adriano has left Gamba Osaka for Qatari champions Lekhwiya less than six months after arriving from city rivals Cerezo. The 29-year-old, who scored the last of his nine league goals for the club in a 2-1 defeat at Vegalta Sendai last Wednesday, becomes the fourth Brazilian striker in as many years to quit Gamba in mid-season for a lucrative deal in the Middle East.
- Japan midfielder Takashi Inui has been dropped from the Cerezo squad ahead of an anticipated switch to Germany, with Schalke 04 thought to be the most likely suitors. Colombian star Danilson of Nagoya Grampus has also been heavily linked with a Bundesliga move to VfB Stuttgart.


J1 results (matchday 16 – Saturday 18 June)
Urawa Reds 1-3 Shimizu S-Pulse
Gamba Osaka 2-1 Yokohama F Marinos
Ventforet Kofu 0-2 Cerezo Osaka
Montedio Yamagata 2-0 Vissel Kobe
Kashima Antlers 2-0 Jubilo Iwata
Kawasaki Frontale 2-0 Sanfrecce Hiroshima
Albirex Niigata 1-1 Vegalta Sendai
Nagoya Grampus 2-2 Omiya Ardija
Avispa Fukuoka 0-2 Kashiwa Reysol


J1 results (matchday 15 – Wednesday 15 June)
Vegalta Sendai 2-1 Gamba Osaka
Kashima Antlers 0-1 Ventforet Kofu
Omiya Ardija 0-5 Kawasaki Frontale
Kashiwa Reysol 0-3 Jubilo Iwata
Shimizu S-Pulse 2-1 Montedio Yamagata
Nagoya Grampus 4-0 Albirex Niigata
Cerezo Osaka 0-1 Yokohama F Marinos
Vissel Kobe 0-0 Avispa Fukuoka
Urawa Reds 0-0 Sanfrecce Hiroshima

Surprise J. League leaders Kashiwa Reysol provided further evidence that their title challenge is genuine with a 2-0 victory away to fellow high-flyers Yokohama F Marinos on Saturday afternoon.

Marinos began the day knowing a win would take them to within a point of their opponents, but were placed onto the back foot midway through the first half when Junya Tanaka fired Kashiwa in front following a goalmouth scramble.

A Hiroki Sakai cross then found the head of Hideaki Kitajima to double the visitors�f advantage on 37 minutes. The Yokohama side subsequently controlled much of the second half and outshot Reysol by 16 efforts to four, but were unable to break through a stubborn defence and succumbed to their first home defeat so far this season.

Nelsinho Baptista�fs J2 champions have now accumulated 22 points from a possible 27, and boast both the best attacking and defensive records in the top flight.

Sanfrecce Hiroshima are now up to second position – four points behind the leaders – after a dramatic 1-0 win away to Albirex Niigata. The game appeared set for a goalless stalemate until Hisato Sato collected an incisive Masato Yamazaki pass and smashed the ball home from an improbable angle in the last of the 90 minutes.

Vegalta Sendai slipped to third after their stubborn defence of a single-goal lead at Vissel Kobe was finally broken down at the death by a long-range strike from defender Hiroto Mogi.

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Urawa Reds remain in the relegation zone despite battling back from two down to rescue a point in the season�fs first Saitama derby. Hosts Omiya Ardija deservedly led 2-0 early in the second half thanks to diving headers from Rafael and Yuki Fukaya, but the momentum was quickly conceded when Edmilson calmly slotted home a spot-kick on 56 minutes.

19-year-old Genki Haraguchi then celebrated his call-up to the Japan U-22 squad with a spectacular equaliser twelve minutes from time; dribbling into the Omiya penalty area, appearing to be brought down but somehow still getting a low shot away past goalkeeper Nobuhiro Kato.

Champions League quarter-finalists Cerezo Osaka mustered their first league win in eight attempts with a 3-0 cruise at hapless Avispa Fukuoka, who have now lost all nine matches in their J1 return thus far. Kashima Antlers also put their recent struggles behind them by winning 2-0 away to second-from-bottom Montedio Yamagata.

Influent title holders Nagoya Grampus moved up to tenth place after an 89th-minute goal by Keiji Tamada secured a 1-0 victory at Jubilo Iwata.

Elsewhere, a stunning strike from Takashi Usami salvaged a 2-2 draw for Gamba Osaka at home to Shimizu S-Pulse, who had earlier overturned the hosts�f first-half lead with two goals in three minutes.

Kawasaki Frontale and Ventforet Kofu also drew 2-2 at Todoroki.


TALKING POINTS
- Despite a first call-up to the senior squad and his wonder goal against Shimizu, Usami has been left out of the Japan U-22 side to face Kuwait in qualification for the 2012 Olympic Games later this week. The teenager remains in talks over an imminent transfer to Bayern Munich.
- JEF United Chiba remain on top of the second division after beating FC Gifu 3-1.


J1 results (matchday 14)
Albirex Niigata 0-1 Sanfrecce Hiroshima
Yokohama F Marinos 0-2 Kashiwa Reysol
Jubilo Iwata 0-1 Nagoya Grampus
Avispa Fukuoka 0-3 Cerezo Osaka
Montedio Yamagata 0-2 Kashima Antlers
Kawasaki Frontale 2-2 Ventforet Kofu
Vissel Kobe 1-1 Vegalta Sendai
Omiya Ardija 2-2 Urawa Reds
Gamba Osaka 2-2 Shimizu S-Pulse

Fans in Japan have enjoyed precious little excitement over the past seven days after the 2011 Kirin Cup failed to produce even a single goal across 270 minutes of football.

Having kicked off the annual competition – which was cancelled last year due to the World Cup – with a goalless draw against Peru in Niigata last Wednesday, the Japanese national team played out a further frustrating stalemate with the Czech Republic in Yokohama yesterday evening.

With the two visiting nations also having drawn 0-0 in their weekend meeting at the Matsumoto Stadium, the tournament ended with the bizarre spectacle of all three teams being awarded the victors�f trophy to share between them.

This year�fs Kirin Cup had already lost some of its significance following the Japan Football Association�fs drawn-out decision to withdraw from next month�fs Copa America in Argentina. However, this did at least allow Samurai Blue boss Alberto Zaccheroni the freedom to field an experimental line-up against Peru, before trying out his famous old 3-4-3 system on the first-choice players against the Czechs.

Keisuke Honda and Shinji Okazaki flanked Tadanari Lee in attack, with Atsuto Uchida and Yuto Nagatomo on the wings, and a three-man defence consisting of Masahiko Inoha, Maya Yoshida, and Yasuyuki Konno.

Superficially, the Japanese players appeared to struggle in their new system, with passes repeatedly going astray and few chances created despite dominating possession against an inexperienced Czech line-up marshalled superbly by goalkeeper Petr Cech. But Zaccheroni has previously acknowledged that his 3-4-3 is very difficult to learn and insisted again that he is not planning a radical overhaul of the team�fs more conventional style.

�gI feel we have achieved a reasonable grasp of our 4-2-3-1, but do still think that the 3-4-3 suits the characteristics of the Japanese players,�h said the manager in his post-match press conference.

�gHowever, the 3-4-3 is currently nothing more than an alternative option. If you use the same system and do the same things all the time, then the players will never grow, but trialling a 3-4-3 over these two matches has enabled them to grow to some extent. The formation can now be put on the back burner until it is needed again.�h


TALKING POINTS
- 19-year-old Takashi Usami missed out on a first full cap after watching both of Japan�fs Kirin Cup matches from the bench, but the Gamba Osaka attacking midfielder still stole the headlines with news of an imminent transfer to Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich. A deal is expected to be concluded between the two clubs later this month, with Usami set for a year-long loan ahead of a reported €1.5 million permanent move.
- Vegalta Sendai maintained their unbeaten record this season with a 1-0 victory away to J1 leaders Kashiwa Reysol in the first round, first leg of the Yamazaki Nabisco Cup. The competition has been restructured into a straight knockout this year following the 11 March earthquake.
- JEF United Chiba�fs lead at the top of the second division has been cut to a point after Dwight Lodeweges�fs side lost 3-1 at Thespa Kusatsu. Second-placed Shonan Bellmare won 1-0 away to FC Gifu.


2011 Kirin Cup results
Japan 0-0 Peru
Peru 0-0 Czech Republic
Japan 0-0 Czech Republic


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

Reigning J2 champions Kashiwa Reysol extended their lead at the top of J1 to three points with a 3-0 win at home to in-form Vissel Kobe, as closest challengers Vegalta Sendai and Yokohama F Marinos played out a 1-1 draw at the Yurtec Stadium.

Junya Tanaka put Reysol in control with two goals in three first half minutes, finishing off an incisive passing move to open the scoring before smashing a confident left-footed shot past Vissel �ekeeper Kenta Tokushige from a narrow angle. Leandro Domingues completed a comfortable victory with a third midway through the second period, while Popo saw red for the visitors four minutes from time.

Meanwhile, unbeaten Vegalta took a 1-0 lead into the interval thanks to Shingo Akamine�fs header on 20 minutes, but were pegged back when a Shunsuke Nakamura cross found the head of Hiroyuki Taniguchi for his second goal in as many matches. The Sendai side are now three points behind Kashiwa in second, with Marinos a point further back in third.

Two spectacular goals from Koji Morisaki gave fourth-placed Sanfrecce Hiroshima a 2-1 win over Kashima Antlers, who remain in the relegation zone with just five points from six league matches. The 30-year-old opened the scoring with a 30-yard strike after just nine minutes, and though Shinzo Koroki levelled soon afterwards, Morisaki collected the ball from twin brother Kazuyuki to hit the winner from 25 yards in second half stoppage time.

Nagoya Grampus got their title defence back on track with a 5-2 defeat of Avispa Fukuoka, but had to rely on a late charge after conceding two equalisers to the bottom club from Kyushu. Jungo Fujimoto put Grampus ahead for the third, decisive time on 81 minutes, before additional strikes from Igor Burzanović and Keiji Tamada. Avispa are still without a single point after eight matches.

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Omiya Ardija moved up to ninth in the table with a 1-0 win at Cerezo Osaka that leaves Levir Culpi�fs Champions League quarter-finalists winless in the league and separated from the bottom three on goal difference alone. Brazilian forward Rafael scored the only goal after a quarter of an hour, beating Cerezo custodian Kim Jin-Hyun from a tight angle at the near post.

A Kengo Nakamura-inspired Kawasaki Frontale came from behind to beat Gamba Osaka 2-1 and leapfrog their opponents into eighth. Nakamura hit a left-footed shot through a crowd of players to cancel out Adriano�fs penalty, and won the game with a right-footed free kick in stoppage time – moments after Gamba were convinced they had the ball over the line at the opposite end.

Elsewhere, struggling Urawa Reds could only draw 1-1 at home to Albirex Niigata despite two former Albirex players – Marcio Richardes and Edmilson – combining for the first half opener. A scoreless draw in the Shizuoka derby at Shimizu S-Pulse meant Jubilo Iwata missed the chance to go third, while Ventforet Kofu drew 1-1 with Montedio Yamagata.


TALKING POINTS
- Cerezo Osaka will be the J. League�fs sole representatives in the last eight of the AFC Champions League after beating city rivals Gamba 1-0 on Tuesday. Cerezo dominated for much of the derby clash and finally secured victory through Daisuke Takahashi on 88 minutes after a catalogue of errors in the Gamba defence.
- South Korean clubs look to have maintained their dominance over East Asia, with FC Seoul thrashing Kashima 3-0, and Nagoya going down 2-0 at Suwon Samsung Bluewings.
- Gamba teenager Takashi Usami is one of three new names in Alberto Zaccheroni�fs Japan squad for the Kirin Cup matches against Peru and the Czech Republic. The 19-year-old forward joins Kawasaki midfielder Kosei Shibasaki and Kashima full-back Daigo Nishi.


J1 results (matchday 13)
Vegalta Sendai 1-1 Yokohama F Marinos
Urawa Reds 1-1 Albirex Niigata
Kashiwa Reysol 3-0 Vissel Kobe
Shimizu S-Pulse 0-0 Jubilo Iwata
Ventforet Kofu 1-1 Montedio Yamagata
Cerezo Osaka 0-1 Omiya Ardija
Kawasaki Frontale 2-1 Gamba Osaka
Nagoya Grampus 5-2 Avispa Fukuoka
Sanfrecce Hiroshima 2-1 Kashima Antlers


AFC Champions League round of 16 results
Sepahan (IRN) 3-1 Bunyodkor (UZB)
Al-Ittihad (KSA) 3-1 Al-Hilal (KSA)
Al-Sadd (QAT) 1-0 Al-Shabab (KSA)
Zob Ahan (IRN) 4-1 Al-Nassr (KSA)
Gamba Osaka (JPN) 0-1 Cerezo Osaka (JPN)
Jeonbok Hyundai Motors (KOR) 3-0 Tianjin Teda (CHN)
FC Seoul (KOR) 3-0 Kashima Antlers (JPN)
Suwon Samsung Bluewings (KOR) 2-0 Nagoya Grampus (JPN)

Urawa Reds came from two goals down to draw 2-2 with Kashima Antlers at the Saitama Stadium on Saturday afternoon – a result that does little to lift either of the struggling giants away from the lower reaches of the J1 table.

Full-back Daigo Nishi opened the scoring with a deflected effort on 13 minutes, before Chikashi Masuda justified his selection ahead of the out-of-form Mitsuo Ogasawara by doubling the visitors�f advantage just past the hour mark.

But this prompted Reds manager Željko Petrović to introduce substitute midfielder Hiroyuki Takasaki, who immediately reversed the flow of the game with a powerful strike from just outside the Antlers�f penalty area. The home side were level just two minutes later; on-loan forward Mazola opening his J. League account from a tight angle at Hitoshi Sogahata�fs near post.

The Brazilian was later sent off for a second yellow card, but too late in the day to affect a final scoreline that leaves Urawa third from bottom with only five points and Kashima just one place higher on goals scored – albeit with two games in hand.

Kashiwa Reysol remain the surprise table toppers after underlining the legitimacy of their spectacular return to J1 with a goalless draw at champions Nagoya Grampus. Vegalta Sendai, predecessors to Kashiwa as winners of J2 in 2009, are in second place after maintaining their unbeaten record with a 1-0 win at Montedio Yamagata on Sunday.

A Masashi Oguro brace completed a first half romp at the Nissan Stadium as Yokohama F Marinos eased into third with a 4-0 victory over Ventforet Kofu. Jubilo Iwata were another side to race into a four-goal lead, eventually winning 4-1 to move up to fifth and condemn hapless Avispa Fukuoka to a seventh straight defeat.

Vissel Kobe continued their impressive run of form with a 1-0 win at home to previously unbeaten Sanfrecce Hiroshima. Midfielder Hideo Tanaka, on as a replacement for the injured Masatoshi Mihara only moments previously, found space to accurately fire the game�fs only goal in off Shusaku Nishikawa�fs right-hand post from 25 yards.

With Kobe rising to fourth and Hiroshima now in sixth, not one of the current top six finished higher than seventh in the top flight last season.

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Cerezo Osaka warmed up for tomorrow�fs Asian Champions League encounter at city rivals Gamba with a thrilling 3-3 draw at home to Kawasaki Frontale. The visitors surged into a 2-0 half time lead through Koji Yamase and Takuro Yajima – thanks in part to an unconvincing display from goalkeeper Kim Jin-Hyun – but Cerezo fought back with two goals in as many minutes from Hiroshi Kiyotake and Rodrigo Pimpão.

Yu Kobayashi scored on the breakaway to restore the Frontale lead midway through the second half, but an own goal by the unfortunate Yusuke Tanaka secured a fifth consecutive league draw for the hosts.

Gamba required a late winner from J1 top scorer Adriano to maintain their 100% home record this season against Albirex Niigata. The Brazilian pounced to fire home his second of the evening after Masaaki Higashiguchi could only parry a shot from Takashi Usami. Adriano had earlier opened the scoring after just eight minutes, but Akira Nishino�fs side were pegged back by Michael with a quarter of an hour remaining.

Elsewhere, Shimizu S-Pulse recovered from their humiliation at the hands of Vissel Kobe last weekend in fine style, with a 4-1 stroll away to Omiya Ardija.


TALKING POINTS
- The Osaka derby in the last 16 of the AFC Champions League kicks off at 7pm on Tuesday evening at Banpaku. The tie will be a single-legged affair, with extra time and penalties played if no winner is decided after 90 minutes.


J1 results (matchday 12)
Cerezo Osaka 3-3 Kawasaki Frontale
Jubilo Iwata 4-1 Avispa Fukuoka
Yokohama F Marinos 4-0 Ventforet Kofu
Urawa Reds 2-2 Kashima Antlers
Nagoya Grampus 0-0 Kashiwa Reysol
Gamba Osaka 2-1 Albirex Niigata
Vissel Kobe 1-0 Sanfrecce Hiroshima
Montedio Yamagata 0-1 Vegalta Sendai
Omiya Ardija 1-4 Shimizu S-Pulse

Vissel Kobe, who only escaped relegation to the second tier on the final day of last season, moved up to fifth place in the J1 table with a crushing 5-1 win away to Shimizu S-Pulse.

World Cup forward Yoshito Okubo gave the visitors the lead on 18 minutes, firing accurately into an empty net after a horribly miskicked clearance by S-Pulse goalkeeper Kaito Yamamoto. The 28-year-old found the net again after a fine piece of individual skill early in the second half, with a brace from striker Ken Tokura taking Vissel into an unassailable 4-0 lead.

Naohiro Takahara came off the bench to score his first goal for the home side since returning to the J. League from South Korea, but Botti restored the four-goal margin in stoppage time to underline the huge rebuilding task that awaits Shimizu�fs new Iranian boss Afshin Ghotbi.

Kashiwa Reysol continued their excellent form since returning to the top flight with a 3-0 victory at Albirex Niigata to remain at the head of the table with 15 points from six games. Brazilian left-back Jorge Wagner juggled past two defenders and fired home from a tight angle to open the scoring, before crossing for Naoya Kondo to double the lead on the hour mark. Substitute Masato Kudo completed another perfect afternoon for Nelsinho Baptista�fs side with a third late on.

A Tadanari Lee brace helped unbeaten Sanfrecce Hiroshima into second place with a 3-2 win over fellow highfliers Yokohama F Marinos, despite playing for half an hour with ten men after the dismissal of Ryota Moriwaki. Sanfrecce move ahead of Vegalta Sendai on goal difference after the latter played out a thrilling 3-3 draw at home to Jubilo Iwata.

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Bottom side Avispa Fukuoka were once again left cursing their luck after a 3-2 home defeat to Gamba Osaka left them without a single point from their opening six matches. A wonderful solo effort from teenager Takashi Usami – in front of the watching Japan coach Alberto Zaccheroni – was the highlight as the visitors fought back from a goal down to lead 3-1 early in the second half.

Former Gamba striker Hideya Okamoto then pulled a goal back to set up a rousing finale, but Hisashi Jogo was denied a dramatic late equaliser when his powerful effort struck the crossbar.

There was more domestic misery for Japan�fs AFC Champions League representatives, as goals from Yoshiro Abe, Mike Havenaar, and Masaru Matsuhashi gave promoted Ventforet Kofu a 3-1 victory over champions Nagoya Grampus. Last season�fs runners-up Kashima Antlers have just four points from as many games after slipping to a 3-2 loss at Kawasaki Frontale, now managed by legendary former Antlers midfielder Naoki Soma.

Urawa Reds remain in the bottom three after drawing 1-1 at home to Cerezo Osaka, who are still seeking their first league win of the season despite securing qualification from the group stage of the Champions League in midweek.

Elsewhere, Omiya Ardija continued their strong start to the campaign by winning 1-0 away at Montedio Yamagata; Keigo Higashi taking advantage of a catalogue of errors in the home side�fs defence to score the game�fs only goal after 29 minutes.


TALKING POINTS
- The last 16 of the AFC Champions League will feature an Osaka derby after both of the city�fs clubs sealed wins over Chinese opposition last week. Gamba will host Cerezo on 24 May after beating Tianjin Teda 2-0 at Banpaku, 24 hours after their neighbours had thrashed Shandong Luneng 4-0.
- Japan�fs two other representatives will both face away ties in South Korea after each finished second in their respective groups. Kashima travel to K. League champions FC Seoul, while Nagoya face Suwon Samsung Bluewings.


J1 results (matchday 11)
Vegalta Sendai 3-3 Jubilo Iwata
Montedio Yamagata 0-1 Omiya Ardija
Albirex Niigata 0-3 Kashiwa Reysol
Shimizu S-Pulse 1-5 Vissel Kobe
Sanfrecce Hiroshima 3-2 Yokohama F Marinos
Ventforet Kofu 3-1 Nagoya Grampus
Urawa Reds 1-1 Cerezo Osaka
Avispa Fukuoka 2-3 Gamba Osaka
Kawasaki Frontale 3-2 Kashima Antlers


AFC Champions League group stage results (Eastern zone; matchday 6)
Group E
Gamba Osaka (JPN) 2-0 Tianjin Teda (CHN)
Jeju United (KOR) 1-1 Melbourne Victory (AUS)

Group F
Hangzhou Greentown (CHN) 1-1 FC Seoul (KOR)
Al-Ain (UAE) 3-1 Nagoya Grampus (JPN)

Group G
Cerezo Osaka (JPN) 4-0 Shandong Luneng (CHN)
Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors (KOR) 6-0 Arema FC (IDN)

Group H
Kashima Antlers (JPN) 2-1 Sydney FC (AUS)
Shanghai Shenhua (CHN) 0-3 Suwon Samsung Bluewings (KOR)

J2 champions Kashiwa Reysol remain the surprise leaders of the Japanese top flight following a 3-1 victory over out-of-sorts Urawa Reds at the National Stadium on Saturday.

Despite completing maximum points from their opening three games with a win over Ventforet Kofu on 29 April – the first day of the Golden Week holiday – Nelsinho Baptista�fs side had briefly been knocked off the summit after suffering a 2-1 loss at Montedio Yamagata last Tuesday.

But veteran striker Hideaki Kitajima headed home a Hiroki Sakai cross to open the scoring against Urawa after just 54 seconds, before Jorge Wagner beat �ekeeper Norihiro Yamagishi with a wicked strike from fully 30 yards to double the Kashiwa advantage.

Kitajima secured an impressive win with his second of the afternoon late in the second half, with a close-range strike from Genki Haraguchi in stoppage time serving as little consolation for their defeated opponents. Urawa are now second from bottom of the J1 table after losing to each of an unfamiliar-looking top three within the space of eight days.

Vegalta Sendai had replaced Kashiwa in first position after 1-0 wins at home to both Urawa and Avispa Fukuoka, but were denied a hat-trick of identical scorelines when Rui Komatsu struck a dramatic 94th-minute equaliser for winless Cerezo Osaka at the Kincho Stadium. Yoshiaki Ota had taken advantage of criminally indecisive defending from the home side to open the scoring on the half hour mark.

The result drops the representatives of the stricken Tohoku region to third, with Yokohama F Marinos now up to second thanks to a seven-point haul from their three games over the Golden Week period. A home draw with Shimizu S-Pulse was followed by victory in Urawa, and finally an unexpectedly tricky 3-2 win over bottom club Fukuoka on Saturday.

Two first half strikes from Hisashi Jogo put the promoted side on course for a real upset until the match turned with a headed goal from Kazuma Watanabe moments after the restart. The Marinos�f dominance thereafter was finally rewarded with a late brace from substitute Yuji Ono – though the manner of defeat was harsh on a Fukuoka team that remains without a point from their opening five matches.

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Sanfrecce Hiroshima are in fourth position despite a disappointing 1-1 draw at home to last season�fs J2 runners-up Kofu, who move level with Cerezo and Urawa on three points. Albirex Niigata maintained their unbeaten record with a goalless draw at eighth-placed Omiya Ardija to go fifth, behind Hiroshima on goals scored.

Reigning champions Nagoya Grampus are down in 11th – albeit with a game in hand – after drawing 1-1 with Shimizu S-Pulse at the Mizuho Stadium. Keiji Tamada gave Grampus the lead after just eight minutes following terrific work from Kensuke Nagai, but a fluffed clearance by goalkeeper Seigo Narazaki allowed in Alex Brosque to equalise for 12th-placed S-Pulse.

Ryoichi Maeda�fs first and second goals of the season helped Jubilo Iwata up to sixth spot with a 4-0 thrashing of Yamagata. Vissel Kobe are a point behind in seventh after their 1-0 win over inconsistent Kawasaki Frontale.

TALKING POINTS
- Nagoya and Kashima Antlers both sealed their progression to the last 16 of the Asian Champions League with home wins over Chinese opposition in midweek. Dragan Stojković�fs men edged Hangzhou Greentown 1-0, while Kashima beat Shanghai Shenhua 2-0.
- Both Osaka clubs can also clinch qualification with positive results on the final matchday this week after Gamba drew 1-1 at Melbourne Victory and Cerezo trounced Arema of Indonesia 4-0.
- Gamba and Kashima now each have two J. League games in hand as their meeting was postponed in light of the former�fs gruelling trip to Australia.


J1 results (matchday 10 – 7 May)
Sanfrecce Hiroshima 1-1 Ventforet Kofu
Yokohama F Marinos 3-2 Avispa Fukuoka
Jubilo Iwata 4-0 Montedio Yamagata
Vissel Kobe 1-0 Kawasaki Frontale
Omiya Ardija 0-0 Albirex Niigata
Nagoya Grampus 1-1 Shimizu S-Pulse
Kashiwa Reysol 3-1 Urawa Reds
Cerezo Osaka 1-1 Vegalta Sendai
Kashima Antlers P-P Gamba Osaka


J1 results (matchday 9 – 3 May)
Vegalta Sendai 1-0 Avispa Fukuoka
Montedio Yamagata 2-1 Kashiwa Reysol
Urawa Reds 0-2 Yokohama F Marinos
Kawasaki Frontale 1-0 Jubilo Iwata
Ventforet Kofu 1-1 Omiya Ardija
Albirex Niigata 1-0 Vissel Kobe
Shimizu S-Pulse 0-1 Sanfrecce Hiroshima
Kashima Antlers P-P Cerezo Osaka
Gamba Osaka P-P Nagoya Grampus


J1 results (matchday 8 – 29 April)
Avispa Fukuoka 1-2 Kashima Antlers
Vegalta Sendai 1-0 Urawa Reds
Kashiwa Reysol 2-1 Ventforet Kofu
Yokohama F Marinos 1-1 Shimizu S-Pulse
Vissel Kobe 0-1 Omiya Ardija
Cerezo Osaka 1-1 Albirex Niigata
Gamba Osaka 3-2 Montedio Yamagata
Jubilo Iwata 1-1 Sanfrecce Hiroshima
Nagoya Grampus 2-0 Kawasaki Frontale


AFC Champions League group stage results (Eastern zone; matchday 5)
Group E
Melbourne Victory (AUS) 1-1 Gamba Osaka (JPN)
Tianjin Teda (CHN) 3-0 Jeju United (KOR)

Group F
Nagoya Grampus (JPN) 1-0 Hangzhou Greentown (CHN)
FC Seoul (KOR) 3-0 Al-Ain (UAE)

Group G
Arema FC (IDN) 0-4 Cerezo Osaka (JPN)
Shandong Luneng (CHN) 1-2 Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors (KOR)

Group H
Kashima Antlers (JPN) 2-0 Shanghai Shenhua (CHN)
Suwon Samsung Bluewings (KOR) 3-1 Sydney FC (AUS)