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J.League, Week 8
The Stretch Run Begins

Kickoff	Home	.	Away
14:00		2 - 0
14:30		1 - 1
15:00		0 - 2
15:00		3 - 6
15:00		0 - 1
16:00		3 - 0
17:00		2-1(ET)
19:00		2 - 4

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2 - 0

However, fifteen minutes into the second stanza, Jubilo got huge break on what looked like a very poor call. Jubilo keeper Arno VanZwam sent a booming kick far downfield, and the ball took one high bound into the Kashima penalty box. The Antlers keeper, Daijiro Takakuwa raced out of his net and jumped high to secure the ball, but Jubilo's veteran striker, Masashi Nakayama was chasing the ball like a runaway freight train. Nakayama crashed into the keeper, and as Takakuwa landed on his back, the ball came loose. Most onlookers, and anyone watching the replay, would view it as a clear keeper charge, but the referee decided to play on, and Nakayama had an easy chance to poke the ball into an empty net.

Kashima tried to shake off the disappointment and come back for the equaliser, but the Jubilo defence was in fine form on this afternoon, and trya as they might, they couldnt create any really dangerous shots. Meanwhile, as the Antlers pushed further and further forward for an equaliser, Jubilo began to find space on the counterattack for the first time all day. With about ten minutes to play, Nakayama took a long clearance pass and sprinted down the right wing, unmarked buy the frantically retreating Antler defence. As he turned the corner and the defender started to close in, Nakayama dropped the ball back to Toshiya Fujita in the center of the penalty box, and Fujita volleyed it into the low left corner to give Jubilo its margin of victory.

1 - 1

Just before half time, FC Tokyo levelled the scores on a sparkling individual play by "The King of Tokyo", Amaral. Former Nagoya striker Kenji Fukuda collected a long ball to the edge of the box, and dropped it off for Amaral on the left side. Amaral toyed with his defender, trying to get him leaning the wrong way, and then with a burst of speed, stepped into a bit of space and fired a bullet into the low left corner that eluded the keeper and evened the scores.

Unfortunately, the rest of the match was a frustrating series of missed opportunities and sluggish play from both clubs, and the score line remained 1-1 through the end of golden goal extra time. As a result, both teams managed to pick up only one point. Thus, while Tokyo remains in third place and Nagoya tied for fourth on points, both are still well off the pace set by Jubilo and the Antlers.

3 - 6

But Kobe responded soon afterwards, as midfielder Mitsutoshi Watada sent a long throw in to the box, and former Urawa Reds striker Masayuki Okano headed it on to Kenji Suzuki for a screened shot at the edge of the box.

The next goal by S-Pulse showcased the flashy moves of Alex, as he pulled a ball into the box right out of the air, juggled it over the heads of two defenders, and then swung a roundhouse kick that sent it screaming inside the right post. However, Kobe wasted no time in levelling the scores once more, just before the intermission, on a corner kick. Kazu Miura headed the kick off the crossbar, but it bounded right to Watada, who tapped it in from close range.

Thus far, the match had looked pretty even, as the score line suggested. However, in the middle of the second stanza, the roof collapsed on Kobe, and the match became a laugher. First, Baron put S-Pulse in front to stay with a volley of Alex's centering pass which just barely eluded both the defender and keeper. Then, just a few minutes later, Vissel defender Tomo Sugawara took a crossing pass from the left wing and headed it directly into his own net. Two minutes later, Baron increased the pain by finishing off his hat trick, running onto a centering pass from Yoshikiyo Kuboyama and volleying it over the keeper.

By this team, the match had disintegrated into a free-for-all, with neither eam playing much defence and poth throwing themselves at the opposition's net. Each team added a goal, neither one of which was very pretty. However, Shimizu acompliched the task at hand, and consequently moved up to fourth place in the league table, ahead of Nagoya Grampus and JEF United on goal difference.

0 - 2

The Marinos got out to an early lead on a defensive miscue in the 5 minute. Veteran midfielder Kunio Nagayama sent a ball down the left side, and the Reds defender ran right past it, allowing Brito to race free for the left post. He held his shot to the last minute, getting the keeper to lean the wrong way before sliding the ball underneath him to put Yokohama in front.

With the huge crowd urging them on, the Reds tried to fight back, but the Marinos, and particularly keeper Yoshikatsu Kawaguchi, were having a fine day, and Urawa was unable to crack the defence. With time running down, the Reds got caught pushing forward a bit too hard, and Marinos got a counterattack in the 85 minute with Shunsuke Nakamura sending Dutra into the clear at the left post. Dutra's shot found the roof of the net and crushed any lingering hopes among the 60,000 Urawa faithful.

2 - 1

But Cerezo, fighting for survival, managed to equalise four minutes from full time, on a very pretty piece of cooperative play. Rookie midfielder Hitoshi Okubo dribbled up the right side and then lofted a cross for the far post. Rather than shooting at a narrow angle, Issei Okayamaheaded the ball back in front of the goal mouth, where Kenji Oshiba met the pass and headed over the keeper to even the score

As the first overtime period was nearing an end, Gamba defender Tsuneyasu Miaymoto brought down Oshiba in the penalty area, picking up a card and conceding the winning PK, which Yoon Jung-Hwan calmly sank to lift Cerezo to victory.

Elsewhere

Kashiwa Reysol, who have struggled under new coach Steve Perryman, finally got on track with a 4-2 victory over Sanfrecce Hiroshima.

League-leadingscorer Choi Yong-soo added another to his tally as JEF United breezed to a 3-0 victory over Avispa Fukuoka.

And so, with the season moving into its second half, the race between the two traditional powerhouses Kashima Antlers and Jubilo Iwata is now a neck-and-neck contest. Jubilo leads on goal difference. FC Tokyo, Shimizu S-Pulse, JEF United and Nagoya Grampus are all still in the race, but a bit further off the pace.

Rumours and Rumblings

Gamba General Hayano Falls on his Sword