J.League, Week 3
On A Hot August Night
| Kickoff | Home | . | Away |
|---|---|---|---|
| 18:30 |  | 2 - 1 |  |
| 18:30 |  | 1-2(ET) |  |
| 19:00 |  | 3 - 1 |  |
| 19:00 |  | 3-2(ET) |  |
| 19:00 |  | 2 - 0 |  |
| 19:00 |  | 3 - 2 |  |
| 19:00 |  | h2>1 - 2 |  |
| 19:00 |  | h2>2 - 5 |  |
3 - 1 
The Antlers began to establich control of the momentum early on in this match, moving the ball well at midfield, as always. Probably the most notable point in the first half was the importance of unsung hero Koji Kumagai, who is rarely hailed as a star player, but whose presence is starkly superior to that of Yasuto Honda, who replaced him for much of the first stage. However, while the Antlers were establishing a wide margin of superiority in terms of ball possession, Gamba showed fairly good ability to create dangerous chances on their occasional couterattacks. They managed to sneak out to an early lead in the 30 minute after winning a corner kick. Reginald Vital sent the ball looking to Nino Bule at the near post, and Bule managed to outjump the Antlers defence and head the ball over the flat-footed keeper.
But the Antlers did not allow the conceded goal to interrupt their concentration, and they were almost immediately back in gear, moving the ball from side to side and seeming an opening down one of the wings, where wing backs Akira Narahashi and Augusto found space to operate all night long. Just before half time, the Antlers managed to pull level on a corner kick of their own. The ball was headed around the penalty area, with Antlers players repeatedly beating their Gamba defenders to the ball. Finally, Augusto headed the ball away from keeper Ryota Tsuzuki right in front of the goal mouth, and Koji Nakata stepped up to slam home the rebound.
The game followed much the same course in the second half. Antlers dominated possession but had difficulty cracking the Gamba back line, while the team from Osaka tried to use its occasional counterattacks to create scoring opportunities. Eventually, though, the Antlers pressure cracked the Gamba wall. In the 78 minute, Mitsuo Ogasawara dribbled out of midfield and dropped the ball to Takayuki Suzuki on a post play. Suzuki fought off a challenge by his defender and dropped the ball back to Ogasawara sprinting for open space. Ogasawara's drive eluded the diving fingers of Tsuzuki and snuck inside the right post.
Gamba tried to get back in the game, but as soon as they began to push forward, they created more openings in the back of their defence and the Antlers exploited them almost immediately. In the 81 minute, Suzuki was sent free on a through pass by Ogasawara, and Tsuneyasu Miyamoto had little choice but to pull him down. Nakata took the kick from the right corner of the penalty area and sent a perfectly placed shot into the high corner of the net. to close out the scoring
2 - 0 
First-Stage winners Jubilo Iwata stumbled out of the gate in their first match of the second stage, but they quickly got back on track in a match against Vissel Kobe. Jubilo's scoring potential has suffered a clear demerit with the loss of Naohiro Takahara to Boca Juniors, in Argentina, but that has not afected their cast-iron defence or their excellent ball control at midfield.
Jubilo dominated the first half of this match, but were unable to finish off their opportunities. Daisuke Oku was a particularly egregious offender in this regard, blowing at least three or four wide-open shots in the first 45 minutes. However, Jubilo finally got on the scoreboard just before half time, after Masashi "Gon" Nakayama received a long lead pass five meters to the right of the post. Nakayama faked a pass inside and then drove for the post, forcing defender Sidiclei to lunge for the ball with an awkward stab. Nakayama plummetted to earth like a toppled redwood, ensuring that the referee would see things his way, and sure enough he was awarded a PK. Toshihiro Hattori took the kick and put Jubilo up 1-0 as the halftime whistle blew.
The second half was very much like the first, with Jubilo completely dominating posession and momentum, but unable to finish off their plays. Vissel tried to create counterattacks but apart from one or two long shots, their counterattacks were few and unpromising. Just befor the final whistle blew, Gon got his second big opportunity of the match, as reserve striker Nobuo Kawaguchi took the ball to the end line and cut back inside, leaving his defender in the dust. Before Sidiclei could get back to cut off his passing lanes, he slid the ball to a wide-open Nakayama in front of the net, and Gon finished it off with a calm shot into the low left corner
2- 1 
Although the Urawa Reds have lost their first two matches of the second stage, they have shown signs of shaking off the crushing loss of Shinji Ono and creating a team that can be reasonably competitive in the second half of the season. In particular, the strike force of Livonir "Tuto" Ruschel, Emerson and Takuya Tanaka shows signs of becoming one of the most threatening offensive forces in the league. Emerson, in particular, has displayed some dazzling moves and blazing speed which could soon catch the attention of Big Phil, off in Brazil. Tuto is still hobbling a bit from injury, and last week, Tokyo Verdy managed to steal a victory by basically mugging Emerson every time he touched the ball, but the Reds dominated that match and only their inability to finish off their plays kept them from victory. This week, Sanfrecce tried to imitate Verdy's success, but in the end it backfired on them and the Reds managed a stirring late comeback.
Although the Reds displayed some very attractive play on both offense and defence in the first half, it is clear that they still need to work on their midfield coordination now that Ono is not there to provide cohesion. In the first half, their plays were continually breaking down short of the goal. Urawa also showed that they continue to make their own bad luck, conceding an early goal to Sanfrecce after keeper Tomoyasu Ando fumbled a crossing pass from the right wing and collided with his own defender. The ball rolled to an unmarked Tatsuhiko Kubo who could not believe his good fortune, and drilled the ball into the goal to give Sanfrecce an early lead.
Hiroshima managed to hold the lead until late in the second half, though as mentioned before, much of their "success" was based on fouling Emerson and Tuto early and often. By half time, they had already collected four yellow cards, and probably deserved a few more. As the match wore on, however, the referee clearly became less and less willing to tolerate this cynical strategy. As the second half wore on, Toshiyuki Abe began to step up into the void left by Ono's departure, creating plays and feeding his forwards with nice passes. In the 71 minute, he managed to send Emerson off to the races with a through pass from midfield, but Sanfrecce defender Kentaro Sawada, who already had a yellow for a brutal foul on Emerson in the first half, immediately chopped him down, as he had done so many times before. The referee had clearly seen more than he could stomach. Not even bothering to reach for the second yellow, he went straight for the red card and sent Sawada to the showers. Just five minutes later, Emerson once again got a ball with space to run, and he surged past his defender down the left sideline. THis time it was Oleg Pachinine who knocked the speedy Brazilian off his feet, and he too earned an immediate red, though he already had a yellow on the books.
With a two-man advantage, the Reds began to pour on the pressure, and eventually the Sanfrecce defence had to crack. In the 84 minute, midfielder Masaki Tsuchihashi burst through the weakened middle of the Hiroshima defence, and although a lunge by the defender knocked the ball away from him, Emerson was close at hand to drive the ball into the back of the net.
Recognising the game situation, Emerson grabbed the ball out of the net and rushed back to midfield to get play started once more. Sure enough, the overwhelming pressure of the Reds' two-man advantage was more than Sanfrecce could cope with. Three minutes later, Tsuchihashi found Abe unmarked at the edge of the box. Turning past the final defender, Abe unleashed a blast into the low right corner, giving the Reds their margin of victory.
3-2(ET)
After a disappointing first stage, may felt that Yokohama Marinos would be lucky to escape relegation this season, but the team has rebounded in the second stage and remains one of only two undefeated teams, though Marinos are still two points adrift of Kashima Antlers as their last two wins have come in extra time. The matchup with Consadole Sapporo in Yokohama International Stadium was a real rock-em sock-em affair. Sapporo probably had the edge in agression, but both teams dished out the rough play liberally, combining for six yellow cards and countless fouls or hard challenges. Considering how often the referee left his whistle in his pocket over the course of the match, the first goal came on a rare case of him calling a fould for a fairly inocuous challenge. Marinos defender Norio Omura jostled Tomohiro Wanami at the edge of the box as they went for a loose ball and the official awarded a free kick to Sapporo. Consadole's ace striker, Will Emerson Andrade lined up the shot and hooked it into the high right corner, eluding the keeper and giving Sapporo the early lead.
However, the Marinos had the majority of possession and field position in the first half. The three new foreign players have provided a great deal of balance to the squad, and with Sapporo hanging back in their own end looking to counterattack, Yokohama was able to move the ball around virtually at will. Unfortunately, their ability to make the final pass is still a bit lacking. In particular, Shunsuke Nakamura struggled early in the match, hitting an unusually large number of errant passes, and sending two free kick opportunities into the stratosphere. Yokohama finally managed to equalise in the 34 minute, asfter winning a corner kick on the left side. Nakamura's kick came to Omura at the far post, and he headed the ball back across the face of goal to a wide-open Brito , whose diving header slipped underneath the keeper and knotted the score.
Yokohama's dominance in ball possession started to accumulate in the second half, whereas Consadole started to get even more chippy on defence as momentum started to shift against them. In the 65 minute, Akihiro Endo carried the ball down the left sideline and looed a long centering pass to a completely unmarked Brito, near the top right corner of the penalty area. Brito, with plenty of time to set up, chested the ball down and then blasted it inside the near post to put the Marinos on top.
Yokohama dominated play for the next twenty minutes, but just when it looked almost certain that they would cruise to victory, Sapporo got one of its few fast break opportunities and made it count. Defender Kensaku Omori carried a ball out of his end and raced down the left sideline. As he neared the Marinos goal he unleashed a very hopeful cross which found Yushi Soda on the right side of the area. Soda headed for the far post, and midfielder Yuzuki Ito raced in to slide the ball into the net
Although they had to watch victory slip away in the final minutes of regulation, Marinos came out with the same cohesion in the extra time period, holding the ball for long spaces of time and conceding only a few counterattacks to Consadole. Finally, in the 2 minute of the second extra time period, a ball into the box was headed away from the keeper by Shoji Jo and only just cleared by a Sapporo defender. Brazilian midfielder "Naza" de Lima picked up the loose ball at the edge of the box, cut for the post and let loose a rising line drive that smoked past the post and into the top of the net.
2 - 5 
Kashiwa Reysol have been under a cloud of bad feelings since the start of the second stage. New manager Steve Perryman has exchanged harsh words with players after starting the season with a loss and a draw. At first, it looked like Reysol might be in for another disappointing performance against Avispa Fukuoka, but the team finally broke out of the doldrums in the second half of this match.
Reysol went down a goal early on, as a long drive by Wagner Lopes came back off the left upright and was rattled home by the well-positioned Daisuke Nakaharai. Avispa frustrated Reysol for much of the first half, and play was pretty much equal, but in the 34 minute the team from Kashiwa caught a break, as an inlet pass to striker Hideaki Kitajima squirted free and was collected by Hwang Sun-Hong just five meters from goal. Hwang's blast knotted the score, but only briefly. Just three minutes later, Lopes was left with a bit too much room as he collected a pass at the edge of the box. Pulling the trigger quickly, Lopes sent a line drive to the top right corner and gave Avispa the lead once again
Reysol managed to equalise right before the half, on a corner kick that Shigenori Hagimura headed back across the face of goal to Yoo Sang-Chul. Yoo connected with a volley shot from close range that left the two teams all even at half time
After emerging from the dressing room, however, Reysol seemed to be a completely different team. They added three quick tallies to put the match out of reach before the second half reached its midway point. First, Tomonori Hirayama carried a ball across the top of the box and drilled a low, rolling shot that managed to get under the keeper's diving glove. Ten minutes later, Hwang pounced on a long cross and drilled the ball out of the air and cleanly into the right corner. Then Harutaka Ono finished off the evening's festivities with an awkward-looking but ultimately effective shot after being sent clear on a pass by Hwang.
Elsewhere
FC Tokyo and Shimizu S-Pulse struggled through a close match that was marked by a great deal of poor finishing from both sides. Both teams scored within a six-minute stretch late in the second half to send the match into extra time deadlocked at 1-1. Eight minutes after the start of the golden goal period, Dasisuke Ishikawa stole in at the far post to meet a cross from Kotaro Yamasaki and scoope it into the net to carry S-Pulse to victory.In Osaka, Cerezo floundered to their third straight loss -their first under new coach Joao Carlos -- in a narrow 2-1 defeat to JEF United. Seigo Narazaki
Nagoya Grampus, meanwhile, edged out another team that could be headed for relegation, as a hat trick by Uelei carried them over Tokyo Verdy by a 3-2 score line.
The second stage is off to a very competitive start, as only one team still has a perfect record. Last year's champion, Kashima Antlers, are unbeaten, moving to the top of the table on nine points from three matches. Yokohama Marinos are also back in the thick of things, with an unbeaten record, though two wins were in extra time, leaving them with just 7 points. Sanfrecce Hiroshima slipped from the top spot this week due to a loss to Urawa, leaving them just a goal difference ahead of JEF United and Vissel Kobe .
| . | Team | Pts | GP | W (90/ET) | D | L | GD | GF | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kashima Antlers | 9 | 3 | 3 (3-0) | 0 | 0 | +4 | 7 | 3 |
| 2 | Yokohama Marinos | 7 | 3 | 3 (1-2) | 0 | 0 | +3 | 5 | 2 |
| 3 | Sanfrecce Hiroshima | 6 | 3 | 2 (2-0) | 0 | 1 | +5 | 9 | 4 |
| 4 | Nagoya Grampus | 6 | 3 | 2 (2-0) | 0 | 1 | +1 | 7 | 6 |
| 5 | JEF United Ichihara | 6 | 3 | 2 (2-0) | 0 | 1 | +1 | 5 | 4 |
| 5 | Vissel Kobe | 6 | 3 | 2 (2-0) | 0 | 1 | +1 | 5 | 4 |
| 7 | FC Tokyo | 4 | 3 | 1 (1-0) | 1 | 1 | +2 | 8 | 6 |
| 8 | Kashiwa Reysol | 4 | 3 | 1 (1-0) | 1 | 1 | +2 | 7 | 5 |
| 9 | Jubilo Iwata | 3 | 2 | 1 (1-0) | 0 | 1 | +1 | 2 | 1 |
| 10 | Avispa Fukuoka | 3 | 3 | 1 (1-0) | 0 | 2 | +0 | 6 | 6 |
| 11 | Tokyo Verdy | 3 | 3 | 1 (1-0) | 0 | 2 | -2 | 5 | 7 |
| 12 | Urawa Reds | 3 | 3 | 1 (1-0) | 0 | 2 | -2 | 4 | 6 |
| 12 | Gamba Osaka | 3 | 3 | 1 (1-0) | 0 | 2 | -2 | 4 | 6 |
| 14 | Shimizu S-Pulse | 2 | 2 | 1 (0-1) | 0 | 1 | +0 | 3 | 3 |
| 15 | Consadole Sapporo | 0 | 3 | 0 (0-0) | 0 | 3 | -5 | 5 | 10 |
| 16 | Cerezo Osaka | 0 | 3 | 0 (0-0) | 0 | 3 | -9 | 3 | 12 |
Rumours and Rumblings
Okano Speeds Out of Urawa, Bound for Kobe
As has been rumoured for about a week, Urawa Reds striker Masayuki Okano has been shipped off to Vissel Kobe on a six-month loan. The speedy striker's position in the team became increasingly superfluous after the Reds signed the 19-year-old Brazilian ace Emerson from Kawasaki Frontale during the midseason break. Emerson, who led the J2 in scoring last year, is likely to team with fellow Brazilian Tuto up front. Both Yuichiro Nagai and Takuya Tanak -- two other forwards on the Reds roster -- are more versatile players and thus would be viewed as better candidates for a reserve role. Okano, a tall and fleet-footed forward who earned the nickname "yajin" (wild man), is best known for his golden goal against Iran in 1997. However, since the 1998 World Cup, his contributions to the Reds have been increasingly limited.Portsmouth Proposes to Keeper Kawaguchi
Since attending Japan's 3-0 victory over Australia earlier this month, Portsmouth boss Harry Redknapp has reportedly been making a full-court press to sign Yokohama Marinos goalkeeper Yoshikatsu Kawaguchi. Yokohama have repeatedly stated that the national team goaltender is not available, and that if Portsmouth is interested they should make a formal offer at the end of the season. Yet this has not prevented the predictably hysterical Fleet Street press from publishing all manner of wild rumours. One report claimed that Kawaguchi will arrive for contract talks in Portsmouth on August 30 -- not a likely event given that Kawaguchi is listed as the starting keeper for both the Aug 29 Nabisco Cup match against Kawasaki Frontale and the Jomo Cup all-star match on September 2. On the other hand, Kawaguchi has indicated that he would like to meet with Portsmouth officials if Yokohama will give its approval.Kenji Fukuda Moves to the Big City
Nagoya Grampus striker Kenji Fukuda has been traded to FC Tokyo, according to club officials. Fukuda, a youngster who showed promise of cracking the national team two years ago but has failed to blossom, was relegated to a bench role after the arrival of Nagoya's new ace, Ueslei. However, at least one former Grampus star thinks that Nagoya are making a mistake. Dragan Stojkovic was reported as saying "Fukuda is a player who will definitely grow as time goes on. I guarantee that he will succeed (at FC Tokyo)". FC Tokyo recently released disgruntled forward Wagner Lopes, who was unhappy playing second fiddle to aces Amaral and "Kelly" Guimares. Although Fukuda is likely to assume a similar role, as the number three striker, Amaral's progressing age means that he should at least get some playing time at Tokyo.Claudio Makes a Dash Through the Revolving Door
Claudio, a 29-year-old defender who has previously played in Japan for Bellmare Hiratsuka, was released by the club less than a month after he was required, apparently because he does not fit into the scheme of things for new coach Joao Carlos.Nabisco Cup -- And Then There Were Four
Nagoya Grampus had already qualified for the semifinal round last week, but this week's matches to decide the final three places were delayed a week by a typhoon, leaving fans in suspense to see which teams would advance to the final four. Though all but one match were fairly predictable, they generated quite a bit of excitement all the same.Jubilo Iwata locked up its semifinal spot on Tuesday night, with a 2-0 victory over a weakened JEF United. Jubilo fans may start referring to typhoon #11 as the kamikaze (divine wind), since it provided them with a huge lift in their competition with JEF. Two key players for the team from Ichihara -- Edo Mujcin and Zeljko Milinovic -- missed the match due to national team commitments, but if the match had been held last week, as originally scheduled, it would have been Jubilo that were down a player or two due to injury. At any rate, the depleted JEF squad were no match for a Jubilo team that already had a goal advantage from the first leg. Jubilo played a cautious strategy and the match remained scoreless until the final ten minutes, when JEF's desperate attempts to throw all players into attack resulted in two counterattack goals by Nobuo Kawaguchi and Junichi Maeda.
Perhaps the easiest match to anticipate was Yokohama Marinos vs Kawasaki Frontale. The J2 club from Kawasaki reached this stage of the competition only due to a very fortunate draw, which partly comes from their runner-up finish in the 2000 Nabisco Cup. However, this year's team bears virtually no comparison to the league cup finalist last year. Kawasaki are a weakling even in the second division this year, and Yokohama had no trouble sending them home after a 2-0 victory. Marinos new striker Brito scored both goals, giving him four in Yokohama's last two matches.
The fiercest match of the evening pitted cup holders Kashima Antlers against Urawa Reds. Urawa had a one-goal advantage from the first leg, and they made a valiant effort to hold that advantage in hostile Kashima Stadium. Unfortunately, though, their battling tactics backfired and two players (Masami Iihara and Emerson) were dismissed for second yellow cards before half time. Yutaka Akita scored shortly after the half, but amazingly, the Reds were able to fend off Kashima's press for the rest of the second half, by playing nine men behind the ball. However, eventually the Antlers gained the upper hand, with veteran striker Yoshiyuki Hasegawa scoring the deciding goal two minutes into the first overtime period.
Thus, the aggregate results of the quarterfinal round look as follows:
| Date | Home | . | Away |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 8 | Urawa Reds | 1 - 0 | Kashima Antlers |
| Aug 22 | Kashima Antlers | 2 - 0 (ET) | Urawa Reds |
| Aug 8 | JEF United | 2 - 2 | Jubilo Iwata |
| Aug 22 | Jubilo Iwata | 2 - 0 | JEF United |
| Aug 8 | Yokohama Marinos | 3 - 0 | Kawasaki Frontale |
| Aug 22 | Kawasaki Frontale | 0 - 2 | Yokohama Marinos |
| Aug 8 | Sanfrecce Hiroshima | 2 - 3 | Nagoya Grampus |
| Aug 22 | Nagoya Grampus | 1 - 0 | Sanfrecce Hiroshima |
The semifinal matches will be played in September, with Kashima Antlers facing off against Jubilo Iwata and Yokohama Marinos duelling with Nagoya Grampus. Here is the semifinal round schedule
| Date | Home | . | Away |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 26 | Kashima Antlers | vs | Jubilo Iwata |
| Oct 10 | Jubilo Iwata | vs | Kashima Antlers |
| Sep 26 | Nagoya Grampus | vs | Yokohama Marinos |
| Oct 10 | Yokohama Marinos | vs | Nagoya Grampus |
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