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J.League Week 4 - One-Horse Race?

Nabisco Cup

Moving on now to the results of the league competition, here are the scores of Saturday's matches.

Kickoff	Home	.	Away
13:30		2 - 0
15:00		1 - 2
15:00		1 - 0
15:00		2 - 1
15:00		3 - 2
18:30		0 - 1
19:00		2 - 1
19:00		0 - 1

Click on the highlighted icons for a more detailed match report

1 - 2

Kashima got off to an early lead on a set play from about two meters outside the penalty area, on the right side. Bismarck played a high ball into the area, which appeared to be well covered by Dutch keeper Arno vanZwam. However, forward Toshiyuki Suzuki refused to give up on the play, and actually outjumped the keeper, heading the ball away from van Zwam, and then slamming home the loose ball. Just four minutes into the match, Kashima were out to an early lead.

But if the Antlers fans were thinking that this was a sign of how the match would go, Jubilo quickly disabused them of the notion. From the outset of the match, Jubilo showed what they have been demonstrating across Asia this year. The team, which has played an average of one match every four days over the past month (due to both J.League and Asian club competitions) did not wait long to demonstrate their control of the match. A mere four minutes later, Jubilo got a free kick of its own, aobut 40 meters out from goal. Before the Antlers could set up, Hiroshi Nanami lofted a high ball over the defence to Naohiro Takahara . Takahara collected the ball about eight meters out to the left of goal, before anyone could reach him. As both defender Fabiano and the keeper Daijiro Takakuwa tried to recover, Takahara hit a one hopper that bounced past both Antlers players and slooped into the far corner of the net.

The next 50 minutes or so was fiercely contested, with both teams getting rather physical and play moving from one end of the field to the other. However, Jubilo's superior depth and coordination quickly became apparent. Last season, the Antlers were the team that would dominate ball posession at midfield and dictatethe pace of the match. This year, Jubilo's midfield, which includes a host of curent and former national team members like Nanami, Daisuke Oku , Toshiya Fujita , Takashi Fukunishi and Toshihiro Hattori, have become thee class of the league. While the match provided excitement in both directions, it was Jubilo that gradually took control of the match.

In the 54 minute, the Jubilo midfield put together a magnivicent piece of cooperative play that provided the decisive strike. Toshiya Fujita leaped high for a ball cleared by the Antlers defence and headed it to strikerMasashi "Gon" Nakayama at the top of the penalty box. Gon saw some space just outside the box, and chested the ball down to give Takahara an open shot at the net. Takahara's blast just barely eluded the dive of Takakua, but it deflected off the post and back into the field of play. However, Fujita had followed his header into the penalty area, and as the ball rolled in front of goal he rushed in and slammed the ball home. Unfortunately for the many Antlers fans (and even the Jubilo fans, for that matter), what had been a very exciting match would end in relative anticlimax. In the 61 minute, Fabiano picked up a second yellow card, reducing the Antlers to 10 men. Rather than pres their advantage, Jubilo seemed to take their one goal and one man advantage as a chance to take the rest of the match off, and they eased the pressure, making for a rather sluggins had sloppy final 30 minutes. If anything, it was the Antlers who picked up the pace in the final minutes, with substitute Masashi Motoyama creating some dangerous runs that nearly got the Antlers back into the match. However, it was a bit too much to ask of the 10-man Antlers, and the match ended without an equaliser.

Based on their form in the first hour of the match, Jubilo has clearly shown that they will be the team to beat this year. Their win put them firmly in the driver's seat at the top of the division.

2 - 1

However ,it was not until a minute before half time that Gamba broke the deadlock. Satoshi Yamaguchi started the play with a crisp slant pass that found midfielder Reginald Vital at the edge of the circle. Vital drilled a shot as the defenders closed in, but it rebounded off the right post. However, diminutive striker Kota Yoshihara collected the ball on the left side just one step ahead of the retreating defender. Yoshihara hit a curving shot that got underneath the defender and past the outstretched arm of the keeper to put Gamba in front. going into the locker room.

Cerezo managed to level the scores in the 58 minute on a corner kick. With most of the players from both teams bunched in the middle, Noh Jung-Yoon sent the ball to open space about 15 meters out from goal, where tall defender Shigeki Kurata leapt high to head the ball back on goal. The shot was high enough to elude the keeper and all the defenders, but managed to just slip in under the crossbar.

But Gamba got a corner kick goal of their own to close out the scoring. A long cross to the far post by Vital foundNino Bule, who just manged to save the ball from going out overthe end line. As he headed the ball back in front of the net, Hiromi Kojima pounced on it and clinched victory for Gamba.

0 - 1

Urawa got the only goal of the night early on, after some nice individual play by Tuto. The young Brazilian forward dribbled across the middle, breaking free of three Marinos defenders and finding a big opening at the top of the box. His low, hard shot evaded Yoshikatsu Kawaguchi and put the Reds into an early lead that they would preserve for the rest of the match. Unfortunately, Reds defender and former Marino Masami Iihara got a bit carried away playing against his former team, and picked up two yellow cards before the end of the first half. As a result, Urawa had to play short-handed for over 45 minutes. Yet even in the second half, it was the Reds who seemed to have the upper hand. Yokohama simply couldnt get their offense untracked, and the Reds slowly collapsed further and further into a defensive shell as it appeared that the one goal would be all they needed.

By the 78 minute, Tita had replaced both playmaker Shinji Ono and fellow offensive midfielder Adriano with defenders, and it was merely a matter of waiting out the clock. While the second half of this match was rather dull, this has to be a big shock to Marinos fans, who now find their team in the cellar and worrying honestly about the possibility of relegation.

2-0

In just the 12 minute, Yasuyuki Konno threaded a perfect 30 meter pass to Will, who split two defenders, dribbled into the box and unleashed a low, hard shot that left the keeper sprawling and found the far side of the net. Less than six minutes later, midfielder Tomohiro Wanami drove down the left sideline almost to the corner flag, before senting a low cross to the near post. Ryuji Bando was lurking in the penalty box, and made a lunging stab at the ball that deflected it just inside the near post. Verdy had no answer for the two quick goals, and although the rest of the match was a bit more closely contested than the wild first 20 minutes, the team from Tokyo never showed any hope of getting back into the match. With this, its third victory, Consadole remains just three points back of Jubilo Iwata, and is already starting to cause a buzz in the North country.

2 - 1

Before eitehr team had settled into its paceSanfrecce got off to an early lead on a very nice break down the left side by Kota Hattori. Hattori crossed the ball into the box which Chikara Fujimoto managed to pry loose from the defender, pop into the air, and then finish off in style. Fujimoto then treated the Kashiwa crowd to his patented "Awa Dance", in celebration.

Although Reysol settled down and soon established control over the pace of the match, Sanfrecce defended well, and avoided any mistakes in the back line to give Reysol an easy equaliser. It wasnt until the 57 minute that Kashiwa finally got level. Makoto Sunakawa centered a ball that was timed perfectly by Nozomu Kato, as he got behind the defence and leapt high for the cross. Kato's header skimmed in just under the crossbar.

However, Sanfrecce continued to play a very tight match in the back, and turned away Reysol on several drives late in the match. It took a lucky bounce midway through the second extra time period to finally put the team from Hiroshima away. Haruhiko Ono centered a ball that didnt look particularly threatening, but reserve midfielder Shinya Tanoue put his toe to the ball just a split second ahead of the defender. The ball spun like a split-fingered fastball, curling just inside the post, and keeper Takashi Shimoda failed to react in time to keep it out the net.

Elsewhere

Shimizu S-Pulse and Vissel Kobe played a scoreless match for a full 90 minutes bevore an injury-time cross from the right sideline by Daisuke Ichikawa was slightly deflected by Yoshikiyo Kuboyama, and eluded the keeper to give Shimizu a last-second victory.

JEF United Ichihara got their first victory of the season, in a rather entertaining match which showed that the recent additions of several key youngsters and foreign players may help JEF avoid relegation, which was the widely expected fate of the team at the start of the season.

With four games gone in the season, Jubilo is off to a powerful start, having collected all 12 points. Nagoya and Consadole and S-Pulse are all hanging just three points back. Disappointingly for fans in the capital city, the four teams based closest to Tokyo occupy the botom four slots in the table.