August 11, 2002
Down to the Wire
Here are the results from Saturday evening
| Date | Home | . | Visitor | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 Aug |  | 1-0 |  | Atsubetsu |
| 10 Aug |  | 1-0 (ET) |  | Tokyo Stadium |
| 10 Aug |  | 4-0 |  | Iwata Stadium |
| 10 Aug |  | 2-1 |  | Mizuho Stadium |
| 10 Aug |  | 0-1 |  | Nishikyogyoku |
| 10 Aug |  | 2-1 (ET) |  | Kobe Wing |
| 11 Aug |  | 2-1 |  | Kashima Stadium |
| 11 Aug |  | 1-2 |  | Kashiwa-no-ha |
4 - 0 
A hat trick by Naohiro Takahara was the centrepiece of a convincing win by Jubilo Iwata, as they temporarily move one point ahead of the Marinos, who do not play until Sunday night. Vegalta have been on a slide since the World Cup break, in part because of the absence of their top playmaker, Teruo Iwamoto . This week they were also without the services of striker Marcos. Although they got off to a strong start, their lack of scoring puch was clearly evident.
4 - 0 Early in the Match, Jubilo almost dug a hole for themselves, as Hideto Suzuki gave away three free kicks in succession from the edge of the penalty box, and very nearly earned himself a red card in the process. However, Vegalta were unable to capitalise on these opportunities, and Jubilo soon settled down to what would become a blistering attack.
Just before the 20 minute mark, Takahara made his first foray of the evening into the Vegalta box. cutting past his defender, he unleashed a solid shot, but it was parried by the keeper. However, as Norihiro Nishi , trailing the play, tried to collect the loose rebound, he was bumped into from behind by a Jubilo defender, and went down in what looked very much like a dive. It didnt matter, though, for the referee was compliasant, and pointed to the spot. Toshiya Fujita collected the PK and Jubilo were out in front
Just five minutes later, Takahara made the first of what would be a series pf sparkling offensive plays. Hiroshi Nanami won a free kick on the left sideline, and put the ball down quickly to take the kick. He fed the ball to Takahara, breaking into the box from the left side. With a nifty first touch, Takahara pulled the ball back and let his defender rush by, then took one step into the clear and cut the ball sharply along the ground, squeezing it just inside the near post.
As Vegalta came out from the locker room at half time, they seemed to have hopes of coming back from the dead. But Takahara drove a stake through their hearts before even one full minute had elapsed. As Jubilo made their first surge forward of the second half, a high cross found Masashi "Gon" Nakayama just to the right of goal. Deciding that his own shooting angle was too narrow, Nakayama headed the ball down and in front of the net, and Takahara charged into the box to head the high-bounding ball into the back of the net.
Though the match was effectively over at this point, Takahara had one last contribution to make to the highlight reel. Once again, Nanami was the provider, leading Takahara perfectly with a little lob into the box. Takahara chested it down, put on a sudden burst of speed to accelerate past his defender, and drove a screaming shot inside the right post to complete his hat trick.
Lineups:
Arno VanZwam, Hideto Suzuki, Go Oiwa, Makoto Tanaka, Norihiro Nishi (Aleksandr Zivkovic 71), Takashi Fukunishi, Toshihiro Hattori, Toshiya Fujita (Takahiro Kawamura 78), Hiroshi Nanami, Naohiro Takahara (Nobuo Kawaguchi 87), Masashi Nakayama
Norio Takahashi, Tomohiro Katanosaka, Norio Omura, Ricardo, Tatsuya Murata, Hitoshi Moriyasu, Silvinho, Tomohiro Murakami (Naoki Chiba 75), Nobuyuki Zaizen (Shin Nakamura 63), Yoshiteru Yamashita. Shinya Mitsuoka (Satoshi Otomo 58)
1-0 
In the J.League, no team can let down its guard, no matter who the opponent. Several matches this week provided a good demonstration of that principle, perhaps the best being a match between Gamba Osaka -- who have made a strong run for the championship and were still mathematically in contention this week -- and lowly Consadole Sapporo. Though the hosts have looked completely hapless for most of this season, this week they managed to knock off Gamba before an appreciative home crowd of over 17,000.
1-0 This is not to say that Gamba were outplayed. On the contrary, they held the initiative for almost the entire match. But after Consadole won a fortunate PK in the 10 minute, the visitors simply couldnt figure out a way to put the ball in the net. Time after time, Gamba created what looked like certain scoring opportunities, and each time some desperate last-ditch defending managed to turn the ball away. Perhaps the finest example came midway through the second half, as a deflected ball fell to Kota Yoshihara at the far post. The keeper was lying on the ground several meters away, and Yoshihara was just two steps away from a wide open net. Yet as he headed the ball for his target, a Consadole defender flung hismelf across the face of goal and just barely headed the shot away, before crashing full-tilt into the goal post.
With such heroic defending, it was fitting that Consadole should survive the onslaught, and despite continuous pressure by Gamba until the final whistle, in the end, Consadole prevailed, capturing just their second win of the season.
Lineups:
Yosuke Fujigaya, Tsuyoshi Furukawa, Jin Sato, Kensaku Omori, Yoshikiyo Nishida (Kyosuke Yoshikawa 89), Biju (Yushi Soda 80), Hitoshi Morishita, Tomohiro Wanami, Koji Yamase, Srjdan Baljak (Naoki Sakai 87), Takafumi Ogura
Naoki Matsuyo, Satoshi Yamaguchi, Tsuneyasu Miyamoto, Masao Kiba, Toru Araiba, Shigeru Morioka (Koki Habata 86), Yasuhito Endo, Toshihiro Matsushita (Masayuki Matsunami 45), Takahiro Futagawa, Kota Yoshihara , Magrao
1-0 (ET) 
In another match where defending was the word of the day, Tokyo Verdy also eked out a win over visiting Sanfrecce Hiroshima. Both teams had their opportunities to score, but good plays by both keepers and some solid back-line play (as well as a few heartbreaking misses by players with an open goal in front of them) left the match deadlocked after 90 minutes.
1-0 In the extra time period, a wild scramble in front of the Sanfrecce net saw the ball directed at net at least four times, before Daigo Kobayashi was finally able to drive it across the line and give Verdy victory.
Lineups:
Yoshinari Takagi, Naoki Soma, Alexandre Lopez, Atsushi Yoneyama, Hayuma Tanaka, Takuya Yamada, Edmundo (Yuki Sano 87), Narita Takaki (Seitaro Tomizawa 75), Daigo Kobayashi, Marquinhos, Kazuki Hiramoto (Naoto Sakurai 59)
Takashi Shimoda, Yuichi Komano, Michel Pensee Billong, Marcus Tulio Tanaka (Jun Ideguchi 90), Kota Hattori, Kazuyuki Morisaki, Kentaro Sawada, Yuki Matsushita (Koji Morisaki 45), Chikara Fujimoto, Susumu Oki (Yutaka Takahashi 45), Tatsuhiko Kubo (Hiroto Mogi 76)
0-2 
In a match that pitted two of the leading candidates for the golden boot, both Nagoya's Ueslei and the Reds' Emerson added a goal to their ledgers, but the visitors from Urawa were simply unable to overcome the loss of midfielder Harison to a red card in just the 38 minute. The Reds have been seeing red a great deal recently, as Emerson himself is just coming off a two-match suspension for spitting. Nagoya got an early goal on a slant pass by Tomoyuki Sakai which found Ivica Vastic< breaking into the box. It looked like Vastic may have been marginally offside, but the goal was awarded, and Harison picked up his first yellow by arguing the call.
0-2 A mere three minutes later, Harison delivered a crunching tackle that won him his second card, and an early trip to the showers. Ueslei scored his goal shortly after the Reds were reduced to ten men, and although Urawa fought back valiantly in the second half, with a man disadvantage, the only goal they were able to score came on a pinpoint drop pass by Tuto which found Emerson steaming into the box for a lethal blast. Though the Reds came close to equalizing late in the match, their comeback was hindered by the man disadvantage, and ultimately fell short
Lineups:
Seigo Narazaki, Masahiro Koga, Andrej Panadic, Masayuki Omori, Tetsuya Okayama, Tomoyuki Sakai, Motohiro Yamaguchi, Kunihiko Takizawa, Naoshi Nakamura, Ivica Vastic, Ueslei
Nobuhiro Yamagishi, Masami Ihara (Tatsuya Tanaka 75), Tadaaki Tsuboi, Hideki Uchidate, Nobuhisa Yamada, Tadaaki Hirakawa, Keita Suzuki, Ryuji Michiki, Harison , Emerson, Tuto
- 
In perhaps the biggest upset of the evening, Vissel Kobe put in one of their most energetic matches of the year, and managed to overcome FC Tokyo in extra time, despite playing almost 90 minutes with a man disadvantage. Defender Kunie Kitamoto was beaten twice in a period of just two minutes by Amaral, and both times resorted to professional fouls in an attempt to stop his penetration. Both times he was awarded a yellow card for his efforts, and on the second occasion he not only earned a trip to the showers, but also conceded a PK as the foul on the edge of the box was judged to be within the penalty area. The "King of Tokyo" converted the PK, and Tokyo were up 1-0 at half time.
- But after the loss of Kitamoto, Vissel played some inspired defence, and FC Tokyo simply were too lethargic to put the match away. With just eight minutes left in the match, Vissel won a corner kick on the right side, and Sidiclei managed to latcho onto the cross in a wild scramble, and push it over the line, to level the score.
As the match went into extra time, Vissel brought on veteran Kazu Miura, who had been benched for the first time in recent memory. Perhaps forcing Kazu to cool his heels was the best thing that could have happened, because the aging striker came through in extra time with a strike in the 115 minute to give Vissel a come-from-behind victory.
Lineups:
Makoto Kakegawa, Kunie Kitamoto, Sidiclei, Yukio Tsuchiya (Kazu Miura 104), Koji Yoshimura, Tomo Sugawara, Naoya Saeki (Masayuki Okano 101), Takeshi Hirano, Shigeyoshi Mochizuki, Ryuji Bando (Mitsunori Yabuta 89), Shoji Jo
Yoichi Doi, Jean Carlo Witte, Akira Kaji, Tetsuya Ito, Satoshi Kobayashi (Teruyuki Moniwa 80), Takahiro Shimotaira, Masashi Miyazawa (Tetsuhiro Kina 98), Naohiro Ishikawa (Kenji Fukuda 106), Kelly, Mitsuhiro Toda (Yuta Baba 80), Amaral
1 - 0
In a clash between two teams that have been moving in opposite directions, the floundering Shimizu S-Pulse managed to pick up their game and overcome the red-hot Kyoto Purple Sanga. Kyoto has been on a streak since the World Cup, winning every match until they ran into the league-leading Marinos last week, and even then they managed a draw. But the team seemed exhausted this weekend, and in the end, a lone goal by Baron, who headed in a cross from Daisuke Ichikawa on the right wing, carried S-Pulse to victory
1 - 0
Lineups:
Masanori Sanada, Tomohiro Ikeda, Toshihide Saito, Takuma Koga, Daisuke Ichikawa, Kohei Hiramatsu, Teruyoshi Ito, Yasuhiro Yoshida, Alessandro Santos (Katsumi Oenoki 84), Masaaki Sawanobori (Yoshikiyo Kuboyama 80), Baron
Naoto Hirai, Makoto Kakuta, Kazuki Teshima, Shigehira Tsujimoto, Tadashi Nakamura (Yusaku Ueno 80), Daisuke Saito (Shinya Tomita 73), Kiyotaka Ishimaru, Shingo Suzuki, Park Ji-Sung, Teruaki Kurobe, Daisuke Matsui (Daisuke Nakaharai 69)
2 - 1 
After running off an unbeaten string of 13 matches, and leading the league virtually since the start of the season, Yokohama Marinos allowed their historical nemesis, Kashima Antlers to knock them out of the pole position, and now they must face the discouraging fact that if Jubilo win their final match next week, against floundering Kashiwa Reysol, nothing they do can prevent defeat. The clash between the Antlers and Marinos may have been a disappointment for Yokohama and its fans, but it surely was one of the finest contests of this season, highlighting two teams who possess all the qualities of a champion, from dogged, hard-nosed defences to dazzling midfield play to deadly scoring capabilities.
2 - 1 From the very first tap of the ball, it was clear that the Antlers were going to give Yokohama all they could handle and then some. Historically, the Antlers have always started the season slowly, picking up the pace only towards the end of the first stage, and then shifting into a higher gear for the second stage. It is sometimes hard to understand how the Antler can look so mediocre early in the year. Every season, it seems, their first stage performance leads one to wonder if they have lost their touch. But even if you are not an Antler fan, it is hard to deny that when they do shift their play up to the higher level, they are frightening to watch. Over the first 45 minutes, Kashima launched one blitzkreig offensive after another towards the Marinos goal, and only some bad luck prevented them from drawing blood. In the 20 minute, a blistering shot by Koji Nakata cleared the leap of Marinos keeper Tatsuya Enomoto and slammed into the crossbar. Euller tried to follow up thje rebound, but he rushed his header and sent it just inches over the bar of an empty net. Ten minutes later, Mitsuo Ogasawara ran onto a drop pass from Atsushi Yanagisawa and drove a shot off the left post, but once again the woodwork denied Kashima a goal.
But as aggressive as the Antlers attacks may have been, the Marinos launched some ballistic missles of their own. Strikers Will and Nobuhisa Shimizu both put their slick and speedy individual moves on display, slicing towards goal time and again. But with the back line at full strength for the first time in sevearl matches, the Antlers were able to keep the Marinos strikers at arms' length, and they had to settle for line drives from the edge of the box, which forced Hitoshi Sogahata to scramble a bit, but were all pulled down safely by the imperturbable keeper.
Though the first half ended with no score, there was as much action, and more legitimate scoring opportunities, than in most of the other matches played this weekend. Clearly, it was just a matter of time before one of the two teams broke the ice. The break finally came in the 53 minute. Carrying the ball out of midfield, Ogasawara fed Masashi Motoyama on an overlap that took him to the right top corner of the box. Motoyama crossed in to his strikers, and Yanagisawa made a soaring leap for the header, right in front of the net. Two defenders followed him up, but the cross cleared all three by scant inches, and fell into open space at the far post. the Antlers' left wing back, Augusto, snuck in behind the defence, and managed to push the ball over the line before crashing headlong into the goal post.
For the next 20 minutes, the Marinos desperately threw everything they had into attack, and stormed towards the Antlers goal. The referee, Mr. Matsuzaki, applying his usual laissez-faire policy, very nearly lost control of the match, as both teams began to get very physical. In the 65 minute, a free kick by Will was blocked by Sogahata, and as he scrambled to collect the rebound, Dutra rushed in and spiked him right in the forehead. It was nearly a fatal error, as Sogahata rolled right to his feet and put a choke hold on the diminutive midfielder, but after a brief melee of pushing and yelling, the referee managed to get the two teams separated, showed Dutra a yellow card, and made it clear that the rough-and-tumble play had to end.
Shortly after this altercation, the Marinos finally got a break, winning a corner kick on the right side. Daisuke Oku took the kick, crossing for Will at the near post. But in much the same way as the Antlers'goal, the cross just barely cleared Will and his defender, falling into a gap at the far post where defender Naza was able to get a toe to it, and poke it into the net.
Unfortunately, the equaliser merely provoked the Antlers to an even more intense surge of ball pressure. Less than five minutes after Naza's strike, Yanagisawa disrupted a Marinos play by charging in from behind, and the loose ball was collected by Motoyama on the right flank. Dashing for open space, Motoyama cut for the right post and rounded the last defender. As he angled for goal, he feinted for the far post got the keeper Enomoto to lean the wrong way. With a quick release, he fired a shot to the short side, which glanced off the right post and into the net.
Although Yokohama struggled valiantly to get back into the match, the Antlers were riding a wave of enthusiasm, and their repeated counterattacks prevented the Marinos from throwing defenders into attack. Indeed, it was the Antlers who nearly added to their tally in the dying moments, as Euller and Augusto both made slashing runs on counterattacks that were only *just* turned away by the Marinos defence. Able to commit only seven or eight players to the offensive, the Marinos thrusts fell short, and at last, the final whistle sounded, throwing Yokohama from its catbird seat and into a shaky second-place position, one point adrift of Jubilo Iwata
Lineups:
Hitoshi Sogahata, Akira Narahashi, Yutaka Akita, Fabiano, Augusto, Naoto Honda, Koji Nakata, Mitsuo Ogasawara, Masashi Motoyama (Jun Uchida 85), Atsushi Yanagisawa (Takeshi Aoki 71), Euller (Yoshiyuki Hasegawa 89)
Tatsuya Enomoto, Yuji Nakazawa, Naza, Naoki Matsuda, Yasuhiro Hato, Yoshiharu Ueno (Kunio Hisanaga 78), Akihiro Endo, Dutra, Daisuke Oku (Daisuke Sakata 82), Nobuhisa Shimizu (Yutaro Hisanaga 89), Will
1-2 
The match between Kashiwa Reysol and JEF United offered a striking contrast to the match that was taking place at the same time, a short hop away in Kashima. The contrast was not only one of quality -- to be sure, JEF and Reysol frequently looked amateurish, especially to the eyes of a viewer who had just finished watching the Antlers and Marinos duke it out -- but a comparison of the officiating of the two matches was like comparing night to day. Whereas the referee for the Marinos-Antlers matchup, Mr. Matsuzaki, has earned a reputation for turning a blind eye to rough play, rather than put himself in the position of deciding a match with his whistle, Mr. Lucilio Baptista seems to delight in making calls that will affect the outcome of a match. It didnt take him long to make an imprint on this contest.
1-2 In the 12 minute, JEF made a foray into the Reysol end, and Yuto Sato chipped a high cross to Choi Yong-Soo on the right fringe of the penalty box. A Reysol defender bumped into Choi as the two went for the ball, and Choi went down. Mr. Baptista immediately pointed to the spot, and JEF were just a formality away from a 1-0 lead.
Five minutes later, Tadatoshi Masuda doubled the lead on a well-designed set play. JEF took a corner kick from the right side, and the ball was sent out to Masuda at the top right corner of the box. He drove the ball low, through a crowd of defenders, and the keeper apparently lost sight of the shot, which glanced off his hands and into the net.
But a mere 10 minutes later, Mr. Baptista was at it again, showing Eisuke Nakanishi a second yellow card for what looked like a relatively harmless foul. JEF were thus reduced to ten men with a full hour left to play.
But although Mr. Baptista may be intrusive and excessively predisposed to punitive action , he is immaculately unbiased, as he proved just a few minutes after the half time break. After a run down the right flank was turned away by a defender, Hideaki Kitajima was incensed to see the referee award a goal kick, and offered few loud words of protest. To his astonishment, Mr. Baptista turned around, walked back to Kitajima and brandished a yellow card --his second of the match. Thus, the two teams were back on even terms, with ten men apiece.
Reysol finally managed to get on the scoreboard late in the second half, on a free kick from just outside the box. Harutaka Ono took tjhe kick and drilled it into the top left corner. But JEF put the match out of reach ten minutes later, on a dazzling, dribbling run by Katsutomo Oshiba, who wriggled through three difenders before firing a low shot that beat the keeper to the right corner.
Lineups:
Yuta Minami, Takeshi Watanabe, Cesar Sampaio, Takumi Morikawa, Norihiro Satsukawa, Tomokazu Myojin, Tomonori Hirayama (Hwang Sun-Hong), Harutaka Ono, Makoto Sunakawa (Mitsuteru Watanabe 45), Hideaki Kitajima, Keiji Tamada
Ryo Kushino, Daisuke Saito, Zelko Milinovic, Eisuke Nakanishi, Masataka Sakamoto, Shigetoshi Hasebe, Yuto Sato, Shinji Murai, Tadatoshi Masuda (Megumu Yoshida 38), Katsutomo Oshiba, Choi Yong-Soo
The Marinos' disappointing loss on Sunday night means that they fail to collect any points, and thus fall into second place, a point behind Jubilo. Just two weeks ago, it looked like Yokohama were in a very strong position, but they now find themselves depending on the floundering Kashiwa Reysol to beat, or at least draw with Jubilo next week. Considering the current point differential, even a win in extra time will probably be enough to earn Jubilo the first-stage championship..
Here is how the standings look with just one match to play:
| . | Team | Pts | GP | W (90/ET) | D | L | GDif | GF | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jubilo Iwata | 33 | 14 | 12 (8-4) | 1 | 1 | +21 | 36 | 15 |
| 2 | Yokohama Marinos | 32 | 14 | 11 (8-3) | 2 | 1 | +17 | 28 | 11 |
| 3 | Gamba Osaka | 27 | 14 | 9 (8-1) | 1 | 4 | +17 | 34 | 17 |
| 4 | Nagoya Grampus | 26 | 14 | 9 (8-1) | 0 | 5 | +9 | 26 | 17 |
| 5 | Kashima Antlers | 24 | 14 | 8 (8-0) | 0 | 6 | +2 | 19 | 17 |
| 6 | Shimizu S-Pulse | 23 | 14 | 8 (5-3) | 2 | 4 | -2 | 17 | 19 |
| 7 | Kyoto Purple Sanga | 22 | 14 | 8 (5-3) | 1 | 5 | +7 | 24 | 17 |
| 8 | JEF United Ichihara | 20 | 14 | 6 (5-1) | 3 | 5 | -2 | 20 | 22 |
| 9 | Vegalta Sendai | 20 | 14 | 7 (6-1) | 0 | 7 | -3 | 22 | 25 |
| 10 | FC Tokyo | 17 | 14 | 5 (5-0) | 2 | 7 | -3 | 22 | 25 |
| 11 | Urawa Reds | 14 | 14 | 5 (3-2) | 1 | 8 | -2 | 20 | 22 |
| 12 | Kashiwa Reysol | 11 | 14 | 4 (3-1) | 0 | 10 | -10 | 18 | 28 |
| 13 | Tokyo Verdy | 11 | 14 | 4 (2-2) | 1 | 9 | -10 | 13 | 23 |
| 14 | Sanfrecce Hiroshima | 10 | 14 | 3 (3-0) | 1 | 10 | -11 | 13 | 24 |
| 15 | Vissel Kobe | 9 | 14 | 3 (2-1) | 1 | 10 | -11 | 10 | 21 |
| 16 | Consadole Sapporo | 6 | 14 | 2 (2-0) | 0 | 12 | -19 | 14 | 33 |
Rumours and Rumblings
Reysol Go Brazilian with New Coach, Striker
In the wake of former coach Steve Perryman's departure, Kashiwa Reysol completed a change of team character, abandoning the "Korean strategy" that has been a hallmark of the team for the past 3 or 4 years, and bringing in a group of Brazilians to fill both the coaching and player ranks. The change actually began at the start of this year, under Perryman's oversight, when veteran defender Homg Myung-Bo decided to return to Korea to better prepare for the World Cup. His place was taken by Cesar Sampaio, a midfielder/wing back who played for the former Yokohama Flugels, as well as frequent appearances in the Brazil national team.
Immediately after the World Cup, Korean midfielder Yoo Sang-Chul also decided to leave the club, to pursue offers in Europe. His place was taken by Edilson, a young Brazilian striker who has played for Reysol before, earlier in his career, and went on to glory at Conirthians and a substitute role at the 2002 World Cup. Following the World Cup, Reysol managed to lure Edilson back, to play alongside his former teammate, Sampaio.
Now, in the wake of Perryman's departure, Reysol have completed their Brazilian transition. Striker Hwang Sun-Hong was released last week, with the club citing his frequent injuries and fading contribution to the club as reasons. Although Perryman's coaching spot will be filled by an assistant coach until the end of the first stage, the team has reached an agreement with Cruzeiro boss Marco Aurelio Moreira to take over the club at the start of the second stage. Moreira was the coach at Cruzeiro when Edilson played for the club, and there are strong indications that another former Cruzeiro player, Ricardinho, will be brought in to fill the spot vacated by Hwang. Given their recent performance, Reysol have a long road ahead of them before they can return to a leading position in the J1, but at the very least, then now seem to be on the road towards recovery.
Golden Goal Suffers Sudden Death
At its regular Executive Committee meeting this weej, the J League decided to abandon the "golden goal" format which the league has had in place since it was founded, in 1993. Although the format has been adjusted slightly over the years, the league has stuck with the concept of playing all matches to extra time, as this was considered a way of keeping matches more exciting, and forcing teams to play for victory rather than settling for a draw and turning defensive in the final stages of a match. One common criticism of matches in many leagues in Europe is that two teams that are tied after 75 minutes will often stop playing to win, both sides retreating into a defensive shell and waiting out the final minutes in hopes of collecting the one point for the draw.
Unfortunately, while the golden goal has indeed contributed to the excitement level in the J.League, it has become too difficult to sustain now that the League has reached maturity. Players who must compete for 120 minutes on a Sunday night simply cant recover in order to contest a match the following Wednesday. As the league and international match schedules become more and more congested (particularly with the planned intorduction of an "Asian Champions League" next year), golden goal extra time seems to have outlived its usefulness.
Many long-time J.League fans will be sad to see extra time go. Some of the greatest matches in J.League history were decided in extra time, including a recent match between Jubilo Iwata and Gamba Osaka, which may eventually decide the winner in this year's first stage. Jubilo capped an amazing comeback with an extra time breakaway goal, to win 5-4. It is sad to think that similar matches, in the future, will end in a sanguinary 4-4 draw.
However ,the league offset the loss of extra time with a very wise decision to retain the league's two-stage format. Althoug the elimination of extra time may partially eliminate the thrill of last-second victories, so long as the season is played over two stages, with only 15 matches to a stage, the J.League should be able to limit the risk that teams may begin "playing not to lose", rather than playing to win. In a season that lasts only 15 matches, teams can not affort to play for a draw, because the season is not long enough for the "law of averages" to balance out. Teams that play for all three points may end up losing, but considering the record that is usually needed to win a J.League stage, the one point they would get by playing for a draw will not good enough to win a team the championship. It is better to go for the victory, knowing that success will give you a huge advantage over the team that played for a draw.
Perhaps it is true that golden goal extra time has outlived its usefulness, but The Rising Sun News will hate to see it go. Some of the greatest matches in J.League history were decided in extra time, and the drama of those contests will linger in our memories for years to come.
No Ham in Osaka, Says Judge
Cerezo Osaka's tailors are working overtime this week, as a court order has forced the team to change uniforms. It may sound like a joke, but in fact, that was the decision rendered by an Osaka District Court, following a ruling against Nippon Ham, one of Cerezo's main sponsors. The company was found guilty of abusing a beef buy-back programme introduced by the government following a BSE scare in Japan earlier this year. A subsidiary of Nippon Meat Packers, which is also Nippon Ham's parent company, apparently took advantage of the government buy-back programme to get rid of imported beef that it had been unable to sell. Nippon Meat Packers found out that the subsidiary had sold back imported beef to the government, but kept quiet about the incident until the government discovered in one of its own inspections that the meat was actually imported.
As a part of the punishment for this cover-up, Nippon Meat Packers and its subsidiaries have been banned from conducting any advertising or promotional activites for a period of six months. Immediately after the decision, Nippon Ham billboards at Cerezo's home stadium were removed, but the team was unable to get new uniforms in time for their match against Albirex Niigata, on August 10. The team will wear new uniforms, from which the "Nippon Ham" logo mark has been removed, for their match against Mito Hollyhock on August 17.
Film clips courtesy of Internet Soccer Program J-Ole. Visit their web site at http://www.j-ole.com/ for results and highlights of all J.League matches.
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