Football Japan Minutecast

Nagoya Grampus and Gamba Osaka will contest the final of the Emperor�fs Cup on New Year�fs Day after successfully coming through their respective last four matches on Tuesday afternoon.

Holders Gamba Osaka had Lucas to thank after the Brazilian notched both of his side�fs goals in their 2-1 victory over J2 champions Vegalta Sendai. Gamba�fs preparations had suffered a setback when goalkeeper Yosuke Fujigaya was struck down with swine flu over the weekend, forcing coach Akira Nishino to hand a debut to third-choice custodian Atsushi Kimura, but any early nerves were settled when Lucas fired home an impressive overhead kick after just three minutes. Takayuki Nakahara scored just before the hour mark to level the score for Sendai, but Lucas struck again minutes later to keep Gamba�fs trophy defence on track.

Earlier in the day, Nagoya Grampus had needed penalties to overcome Shimizu S-Pulse in what had effectively been an away trip to Shizuoka Stadium. Shinji Okazaki gave S-Pulse the lead after 16 minutes, before his national team striking partner Keiji Tamada levelled the scores from the spot early in the second half after Joshua Kennedy had been felled. With both goalkeepers showing fine form throughout a tense period of extra time, the tie was ultimately decided when Daisuke Ichikawa hit the crossbar with Shimizu�fs first kick of the shootout.

Friday�fs showpiece will be Nagoya�fs first final appearance in ten years, since beating Sanfrecce Hiroshima 2-0 on the first day of the new millennium. Victory for Dragan Stojković�fs men will ensure that Japan is represented by the same four teams in the 2010 AFC Champions League as it was this year, but with Gamba already qualified through their league position, a second straight crown for the Osaka club will transfer the final ACL place to Sanfrecce, who finished fourth in their first season back in J1 this year.


Emperor�fs Cup semi-final results
Gamba Osaka 2-1 Vegalta Sendai
Nagoya Grampus 1-1 Shimizu S-Pulse (after extra time; Nagoya won 5-3 on penalties)

Gamba Osaka gained revenge for their 5-1 thrashing at Kashima Antlers two weeks ago with a 2-1 victory over the newly-crowned J1 champions in the quarter-finals of the Emperor�fs Cup.

Returning to the scene of where their own title challenge had ended so crushingly, Gamba were forced to pair Takahiro Futagawa with Masato Yamazaki in an unfamiliar forward line when Korean striker Cho Jae-Jin was taken ill shortly before kick-off. The change proved a blessing in disguise as the away side controlled much of the game with Yamazaki scoring twice, heading home a Yasuhito Endo free-kick in the first half before taking advantage of Atsuto Uchida�fs mistake to seal the win midway through the second. Kashima had equalised just before the interval through Yuzo Tashiro.

Gamba�fs opponents in the semi-final at the National Stadium in Tokyo will be J2 champions Vegalta Sendai, who stunned J1 and Nabisco Cup runners-up Kawasaki Frontale with a 2-1 victory after extra time. Yuki Nakashima�fs 36th-minute strike looked to have won it for Sendai until Kazuhiro Murakami equalised in second half stoppage time, but a Tomoyuki Hirase header on 108 minutes was enough to add Frontale to a list of Vegalta victims that includes Omiya Ardija and FC Tokyo.

J2�fs other representatives, FC Gifu, were the victims of a Joshua Kennedy hat-trick as Nagoya Grampus cruised to a comfortable 3-0 win at the Mizuho Athletic Stadium. Grampus will now travel to the Shizuoka Stadium to face Shimizu S-Pulse, who eventually came out on top following a five-goal thriller at home to Albirex Niigata.

A Toshihiro Matsushita penalty for the visitors cancelled out Shinji Okazaki�fs early opener, but S-Pulse thought they had done enough when Frode Johnsen put them back in front with just four minutes remaining. They were pegged back when an even later strike from Kisho Yano took the game to extra time, but Arata Kodama�fs scrambled winner at the end of the first additional period keeps alive Shimizu�fs hopes of a first Emperor�fs Cup title since 2001.

Both semi-finals will be played on 29 December, with the final in Tokyo on New Year�fs Day.


Emperor�fs Cup quarter-final results
Kashima Antlers 1-2 Gamba Osaka
Vegalta Sendai 2-1 Kawasaki Frontale (after extra time)
Nagoya Grampus 3-0 FC Gifu
Shimizu S-Pulse 3-2 Albirex Niigata

Kashima Antlers are J. League champions for the seventh time and an unprecedented third season in a row after battling to a 1-0 victory over Urawa Reds at Saitama Stadium.

With nearest rivals Kawasaki Frontale racing into a 3-0 first half lead in their game at relegated Kashiwa Reysol, the Antlers needed all three points to avoid being overtaken at the last, and finally went in front in the 67th minute when Shinzo Koroki headed home an early cross from Atsuto Uchida. Kawasaki survived a determined fightback from nine-man Kashiwa to eventually win 3-2, but the Kashima defence held firm against a late barrage of Urawa attacks to ensure that the championship trophy remains in their hands for another year.

The victory was a personal triumph for the clearly emotional Kashima coach Oswaldo de Oliveira, who celebrated his 59th birthday on the day of the game and has now led his side to the J1 crown in every season since arriving back in 2007. Five consecutive defeats in autumn had wiped out what had once been a ten-point advantage at the top, but it was five straight wins at the end of the year that ultimately proved decisive.

Elsewhere, Sanfrecce Hiroshima beat Kyoto Sanga 4-1 to secure a fourth-place finish in their first season back in the top flight, with FC Tokyo three points behind in fifth following a 1-1 draw at Albirex Niigata. Gamba Osaka were the final weekend�fs only other winners, with two Yasuhito Endo strikes accounting for bottom club JEF United Chiba, while second-from-bottom Oita Trinita drew 1-1 with Omiya Ardija to end the season unbeaten in ten league matches and all the more rueful of the 14 straight defeats earlier in the year that ultimately resulted in their demise.

In J2, Vegalta Sendai survived the concession of a last-minute equaliser to Ehime FC to clinch the title thanks to an even more dramatic conclusion in second-placed Cerezo Osaka�fs trip to Sagan Tosu. Leading 1-0 with ten men going into stoppage time, Cerezo were suddenly on course for glory until two goals from Tosu�fs Keiji Takachi denied them in a manner reminiscent of their final day misery in the J1 title race with city rivals Gamba four years ago.

Shonan Bellmare were, meanwhile, able to clinch the win they needed at Mito HollyHock to seal a first return to the top flight for 11 seasons.


J1 results (matchday 34)
Montedio Yamagata 0-0 Yokohama F Marinos
Urawa Reds 0-1 Kashima Antlers
Kashiwa Reysol 2-3 Kawasaki Frontale
Albirex Niigata 1-1 FC Tokyo
Shimizu S-Pulse 0-0 Nagoya Grampus
Gamba Osaka 2-0 JEF United Chiba
Vissel Kobe 1-1 Jubilo Iwata
Sanfrecce Hiroshima 4-1 Kyoto Sanga
Oita Trinita 1-1 Omiya Ardija


Selected J2 results (matchday 51)
Vegalta Sendai 1-1 Ehime FC
Sagan Tosu 2-1 Cerezo Osaka
Mito HollyHock 2-3 Shonan Bellmare
Ventforet Kofu 2-1 Roasso Kumamoto

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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

Kashima Antlers returned to the top of the J1 table with two matches left to play after former leaders Kawasaki Frontale went down to a shock 1-0 defeat at relegated Oita Trinita on Sunday afternoon.

A goal midway through the second period from Brazilian forward Fernandinho, part of the title-winning Gamba Osaka team four years ago, proved enough to clinch all three points and seal Kawasaki�fs first league reverse in two months. Bottom club Trinita are now unbeaten in eight matches, but the defeat meant that Takashi Sekizuka�fs side were unable to reclaim pole position from Kashima, who had laboured to a 1-0 win at Kyoto Sanga 24 hours earlier with a first-half winner from Takuya Nozawa.

The result was also greeted warmly by Fernandinho�fs former teammates in Osaka, as Gamba kept up their title hopes with a 2-0 win at Shimizu S-Pulse with goals from Lucas and former S-Pulse striker Cho Jae-Jin. Akira Nishino�fs men are now just a point behind Kawasaki in second, and three points off the top with a crunch visit to Kashima Stadium to come next weekend.

Four defeats in a row mean that Shimizu have fallen from first to sixth in just over a month, and are now out of contention altogether for a spot in next year�fs AFC Champions League. Urawa Reds are the only team currently outside the top three with a chance of qualification after coming from 2-1 down to beat Jubilo Iwata 3-2 with a brace from Edmilson in the final 10 minutes, including a spectacular long-range effort with the last kick of the game. The result moves them up to fourth, but still five points behind Gamba with a vastly inferior goal difference.

At the bottom, Kashiwa Reysol kept their survival chances alive with a 1-0 victory at Albirex Niigata, as Montedio Yamagata and Omiya Ardija played out a 0-0 stalemate, and Vissel Kobe drew 2-2 with Yokohama F Marinos. Kashiwa have now won consecutive matches for the first time all season, but will need to keep winning if they are to bridge the four-point gap to Omiya or the five-point difference with either Yamagata, Kobe, or Kyoto.

Elsewhere, already-relegated JEF United Chiba picked up their first win since early July against FC Tokyo, Sanfrecce Hiroshima drew 0-0 with Nagoya Grampus, while down in J2, Vegalta Sendai are the new leaders after a 1-0 win over title rivals Cerezo Osaka. Both clubs are already guaranteed promotion, with Shonan Bellmare now favourites to join them in the top flight next year following a dramatic 3-2 win at fourth-placed Ventforet Kofu.


J1 results (matchday 32)
Montedio Yamagata 0-0 Omiya Ardija
Urawa Reds 3-2 Jubilo Iwata
Albirex Niigata 0-1 Kashiwa Reysol
Shimizu S-Pulse 0-2 Gamba Osaka
Kyoto Sanga 0-1 Kashima Antlers
Vissel Kobe 2-2 Yokohama F Marinos
Sanfrecce Hiroshima 0-0 Nagoya Grampus
JEF United Chiba 2-1 FC Tokyo
Oita Trinita 1-0 Kawasaki Frontale


Selected J2 results (matchday 49)
Vegalta Sendai 1-0 Cerezo Osaka
Ventforet Kofu 2-3 Shonan Bellmare


2011 AFC Asian Cup qualifiers (Group A)
Hong Kong 0-4 Japan
Bahrain 4-0 Yemen

Japan�fs preparations for 2010 suffered a minor blow on Saturday when they were held to a goalless draw by World Cup hosts South Africa at the new Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Port Elizabeth.

In a disappointing game of few chances, Shinji Okazaki and Makoto Hasebe went closest for the visitors, but a determined Bafana Bafana back line were not to be broken down even after the second-half introduction of Espanyol playmaker Shunsuke Nakamura. Takeshi Okada was keen to focus on the positives after the game, arguing that just sampling the noisy local atmosphere ahead of next year was a �egood experience�f in spite of the result, but privately the Japan boss must have worried about his side�fs repeated lack of cutting edge.

The national team will now move on to Hong Kong for an Asian Cup qualifying match this Wednesday.

Back home, Vegalta Sendai were the big winners in the last 16 of the Emperor�fs Cup after thrashing FC Tokyo 3-0 at the Marugame Stadium in Kagawa. Goals from Takayuki Nakahara, Yuki Nakashima, and Marcelo Soares crowned a fortnight of highs for Makoto Teguramori�fs side, who knocked out another J1 opponent, Omiya Ardija, in the previous round, before sealing promotion back up to the top flight themselves last weekend.

Vegalta�fs reward is a quarter-final meeting with J1 leaders Kawasaki Frontale, who won 2-1 at Yokohama F Marinos just four days after sealing their fourth round place with victory over Kataller Toyama.

FC Gifu made it through to the last eight with a 1-0 win over JEF United Chiba, who will join them in the second tier next year, but there was no luck for any of the other smaller clubs. J2 sides Sagan Tosu and Ventforet Kofu were comfortably dispatched by Gamba Osaka and Shimizu S-Pulse, while the heroes of the last round, Meiji University, lost 3-1 to Albirex Niigata.

Elsewhere, Nagoya Grampus came from behind to beat Jubilo Iwata 3-1, while a late strike from Danilo gave Kashima Antlers a 2-1 victory over Vissel Kobe.


International friendly result
South Africa 0-0 Japan


Emperor�fs Cup 4th Round results
Kashima Antlers 2-1 Vissel Kobe
Sagan Tosu 1-3 Gamba Osaka
Yokohama F Marinos 1-2 Kawasaki Frontale
FC Tokyo 0-3 Vegalta Sendai
FC Gifu 1-0 JEF United Chiba
Nagoya Grampus 3-1 Jubilo Iwata
Meiji University 1-3 Albirex Niigata
Shimizu S-Pulse 3-0 Ventforet Kofu


Emperor�fs Cup 3rd Round results (11 November)
Kawasaki Frontale 3-1 Kataller Toyama
FC Tokyo 3-2 Thespa Kusatsu

Five days after their defeat to FC Tokyo in the Nabisco Cup final, a Renatinho hat-trick helped Kawasaki Frontale stay on top of J1 and on course to finally pick up their first ever piece of silverware, but they were pushed to the very last by a JEF United Chiba side fighting for their own survival.

Needing to win all four of their remaining games to stand a hope of staying up, JEF United took a shock lead ten minutes before half time through Kohei Kudo. Two goals after the restart from Renatinho looked to have restored normal service for Kawasaki, but the expectant crowd at Todoroki were stunned when, with a minute of normal time remaining, Takumi Wada scrambled the ball home to level the scores at 2-2. As the Chiba players piled forward in search of an unlikely winner, however, Renatinho found space at the other end to clinch all three points for the home side in stoppage time.

The late drama denied Kashima Antlers the chance to return to the top after they had strolled to a 2-0 win at home to Montedio Yamagata, thanks to goals from Shinzo Koroki and Marquinhos. With three games left to play, the gap between the top two remains at just one point, with Gamba Osaka a further three points back in third following a 4-1 romp over Kansai rivals Kyoto Sanga.

Defeat in Kawasaki means JEF United Chiba are relegated to J2 for the first time in their history, but neighbours Kashiwa Reysol kept their survival hopes alive with a stunning 5-0 win over fourth-placed Shimizu S-Pulse. A brace from Brazilian forward França helped cut the gap with Omiya Ardija in 15th place to six points, after the latter lost 1-0 at home to Sanfrecce Hiroshima. Three other teams are not quite out of danger yet, with Kyoto just two points above Omiya on 38, and Yamagata and Vissel Kobe on 37, following the latter�fs defeat at Nagoya Grampus.

Three defeats in a row have taken S-Pulse eight points behind the leaders, and four behind Gamba in the final qualifying spot for the AFC Champions League. One point further back are Albirex Niigata - who won 2-0 at Jubilo Iwata - as well as FC Tokyo and Urawa Reds, whose meeting in the capital ended in a 1-0 win for the visitors.

Elsewhere, already-relegated Oita Trinita made it seven league games unbeaten with a 2-1 win at Yokohama F Marinos, while Korean side Pohang Steelers beat Al-Ittihad of Saudi Arabia by a similar scoreline to be crowned champions of Asia at the National Stadium in Tokyo.


J1 results (matchday 31)
Nagoya Grampus 1-0 Vissel Kobe
Kashima Antlers 2-0 Montedio Yamagata
FC Tokyo 0-1 Urawa Reds
Kawasaki Frontale 3-2 JEF United Chiba
Jubilo Iwata 0-2 Albirex Niigata
Omiya Ardija 0-1 Sanfrecce Hiroshima
Kashiwa Reysol 5-0 Shimizu S-Pulse
Yokohama F Marinos 1-2 Oita Trinita
Gamba Osaka 4-1 Kyoto Sanga


AFC Champions League final result
Al-Ittihad (KSA) 1-2 Pohang Steelers (KOR)


Yamazaki Nabisco Cup final result
FC Tokyo 2-0 Kawasaki Frontale

The footballers of Meiji University created history on Saturday afternoon with a 3-0 win at Montedio Yamagata, which makes them the first ever university side to triumph over a J1 outfit in the Emperor�fs Cup.

Goals from Hirotaka Sanda, Hiroshi Yamamoto, and Toyofumi Sakano gave the students a victory that was as richly deserved as it was shocking, with �eMei-dai�f dominating their professional hosts for long periods of the game. Montedio coach Shinji Kobayashi admitted afterwards that his team had been caught off guard and were ultimately well beaten, remarking �ethe atmosphere was different to normal league games the Emperor�fs Cup can be quite scary�f.

Although university teams have claimed the scalp of nine J2 opponents in the past, this was the first time in 42 matches since the J. League first kicked off in 1993 that a club from the top flight has suffered similar humiliation. The two other student teams playing this weekend were unable to repeat Meiji�fs success, with the National Institute of Fitness and Sports in Kanoya taking Jubilo Iwata to extra time before going down 3-1, while Fukuoka University were routed 6-1 at Gamba Osaka.

Three second-tier teams were, however, able to produce upsets at the homes of J1 opposition. Promotion-chasing Vegalta Sendai won 2-1 at Omiya Ardija thanks to an extra-time strike from North Korean international Ryang Yong-Gi, while Atsushi Katagiri�fs scrambled winner - also in extra time - gave Ventforet Kofu victory by a similar scoreline at Kyoto Sanga. The day�fs other big shock came at high-flying Sanfrecce Hiroshima, where a 90th-minute winner from Mike Havenaar sealed a 3-2 win for Sagan Tosu.

Elsewhere, it was bad news for the heroes of the last round, as fourth-tier sides Matsumoto Yamaga and Fukushima United lost out to FC Gifu and Yokohama F Marinos, respectively. Honda Lock of the third-tier Japan Football League went down 2-0 to Nagoya Grampus, whose AFC Champions League dreams had ended with a 2-1 home loss to Al-Ittihad of Saudi Arabia four days earlier.


Emperor�fs Cup 3rd Round results
Kashima Antlers 3-0 Avispa Fukuoka
Vissel Kobe 1-0 Kashiwa Reysol
Sanfrecce Hiroshima 2-3 Sagan Tosu
Gamba Osaka 6-1 Fukuoka University
Yokohama F Marinos 4-1 Fukushima United FC
Kawasaki Frontale P-P Kataller Toyama
FC Tokyo P-P Thespa Kusatsu
Omiya Ardija 1-2 Vegalta Sendai (after extra time)
Matsumoto Yamaga FC 1-4 FC Gifu
Oita Trinita 2-3 JEF United Chiba
Nagoya Grampus 2-0 Honda Lock SC
Jubilo Iwata 3-1 National Institute of Fitness and Sports in Kanoya (after extra time)
Montedio Yamagata 0-3 Meiji University
Albirex Niigata 3-1 Yokohama FC
Shimizu S-Pulse 2-0 Consadole Sapporo
Kyoto Sanga 1-2 Ventforet Kofu (after extra time)


AFC Champions League semi-final second leg results
Umm-Salal (QAT) 1-2 Pohang Steelers (KOR) (Pohang won 4-1 on aggregate)
Nagoya Grampus 1-2 Al-Ittihad (KSA) (Al-Ittihad won 8-3 on aggregate)

Kawasaki Frontale took a major stride towards their first ever J1 crown with a crushing 7-0 defeat of championship outsiders Sanfrecce Hiroshima at Todoroki yesterday evening.

After going in front with an early strike from Juninho, a tricky-looking fixture became much easier for Kawasaki when Hiroshima defender Ryota Moriwaki received a second yellow card midway through the first half. Though the visitors battled on bravely and created a number of chances to equalise, a powerful finish by Chong Tese doubled Frontale�fs advantage on the hour mark and opened the floodgates for six goals in the final 30 minutes.

Although a first league win in two months at home to JEF United Chiba kept Kashima Antlers just a point behind in second, Kawasaki�fs title hopes were boosted further by poor results for a number of their challengers. Third-placed Gamba Osaka fell four points off the pace following an insipid goalless draw with Yokohama F Marinos, while former leaders Shimizu S-Pulse suffered a second consecutive loss at home to FC Tokyo, who move up to fifth.

Shock defeats for two more contenders also helped bring the relegation battle closer to conclusion. Albirex Niigata�fs title dreams appear over after a 1-0 loss at Vissel Kobe, while Urawa Reds suffered a 3-0 derby mauling at home to Saitama rivals Omiya Ardija.

Two goals from Brazilian striker Rafael, either side of a red card for Urawa midfielder Robson Ponte, helped 15th-placed Omiya move nine points clear of Kashiwa Reysol, who lost 2-1 in their critical home meeting with Montedio Yamagata. Montedio and Vissel are now ten points clear of the drop zone with just four to play, but JEF United need a minor miracle after falling twelve points adrift of Ardija with a vastly inferior goal difference.

Oita Trinita�fs relegation was finally sealed on Saturday despite extending their unbeaten run to six with a 1-1 draw at Kyoto Sanga, while a spirited second half recovery saw Nagoya Grampus come from 3-0 down to steal a point at home to Jubilo Iwata. Dragan Stojkovic will be looking for similar heroics on Wednesday, as Grampus try to overturn a 6-2 first leg deficit in their AFC Champions League semi-final with Al-Ittihad of Saudi Arabia.


J1 results (matchday 30)
Kashima Antlers 3-0 JEF United Chiba
Gamba Osaka 0-0 Yokohama F Marinos
Vissel Kobe 1-0 Albirex Niigata
Kashiwa Reysol 0-1 Montedio Yamagata
Kyoto Sanga 1-1 Oita Trinita
Urawa Reds 0-3 Omiya Ardija
Shimizu S-Pulse 1-2 FC Tokyo
Kawasaki Frontale 7-0 Sanfrecce Hiroshima
Nagoya Grampus 3-3 Jubilo Iwata


AFC Champions League semi-final first leg results
Pohang Steelers (KOR) 2-0 Umm-Salal (QAT)
Al-Ittihad (KSA) 6-2 Nagoya Grampus