Reysol end winless run, top Gamba
The Yomiuri ShimbunKASHIWA, Chiba — Kashiwa Reysol have more than held their own in the AFC Champions League, where they have reached the quarterfinals. Domestically, however, it has been a different story.
Reysol, languishing near the bottom of the J.League first division, picked up their first win in eight matches on Tuesday night by beating Gamba Osaka 1-0 at Hitachi Kashiwa Stadium.
Defender Eduardo headed in the lone goal off a free kick in the 12th minute, and Reysol kept their composure to fend off a late surge by the Gamba attack to secure their first home win this season.
“Up to now, there were many matches in which we couldn’t hold on for the win, so I’m happy we could win today,” the 22-year-old Eduardo said.
The match was a makeup of one the teams missed earlier in the season because both had Champions League commitments. Gamba has also reached the quarterfinals.
With their first win since beating Kawasaki Frontale on April 29, Reysol moved up to 14th place with 17 points. Gamba, the defending league champions, remained in fourth with 29.
“It was the kind of match where we didn’t allow the opponent to have many chances, and it was just a matter of whether we could score when we had the opportunity,” Gamba coach Kenta Hasegawa said.
“I think the only way we can make a run of it from now is to become better at finishing.”
Urawa Reds, who have yet to lose this season, have already clinched the title of the first stage with one match remaining to secure a spot in the postseason playoffs.
Reysol earn first home win in rescheduled match with Gamba
Kashiwa Reysol condemned Gamba Osaka to their third match without a win with a 1-0 victory in Tuesday’s rescheduled matchday 13 clash.
Eduardo netted the only goal of the game between Japan’s pair of AFC Champions League quarter-finalists with a 12th minute header from an improbable angle.
The win in the penultimate round of the MEIJI YASUDA J1 League first stage means Reysol picked up all three points at home for the first time this season.
Despite their progress on the continent, Tatsuma Yoshida’s side have endured a stop-start season in the league, sitting three points off the bottom three.
Champions Gamba will meanwhile be concerned with their failure to avoid defeat at Kashiwa Stadium after missing several opportunities to score.
FC Tokyo announce departure of defender Canini
FC Tokyo announced the departure of defender Michele Canini following the conclusion of his contract on Tuesday.
The former Italy youth international arrived on loan from Atalanta in 2014 and made 10 league and two cup appearances under coach and compatriot Massimo Ficcadenti.
“I want to express my gratitude to our fans for your wonderful support,” Canini said in a statement.
“I pray for FC Tokyo’s continued success and hope that I will be able to meet everyone again one day.”
Canini returned to Italy on Wednesday, three days before third-placed Tokyo face Shimizu S-Pulse in the final round of the MEIJI YASUDA J1 League’s first stage.
Frontale commemorate new main stand with special uniform
Kawasaki Frontale released a commemorative kit in recognition of their newly-completed main stand at Todoroki Stadium on Monday.
The jersey will be worn in three consecutive MEIJI YASUDA J1 League second stage fixtures at home, beginning against Shimizu S-Pulse on 25th July.
Yahiro Kazama’s side will continue donning the limited edition kits when they host Montedio Yamagata on 12th August and then Kashima Antlers on 29th August.
One thousand replica kit sets will be sold to the public via the club’s official web shop at the cost of 13,824 yen from this Sunday.
FC Tokyo release commemorative Muto merchandise
FC Tokyo have released a series of merchandise to commemorate striker Yoshinori Muto’s departure for Germany’s Mainz.
Amongst the items put on sale will be a tee-shirt, teddy bear and glass tumbler.
The 22-year-old is expected to make his final J.League appearance before joining the Bundesliga outfit on 27th June.
Third-placed Tokyo, who have counted heavily on their joint-league top scorer’s 10 goals this term, will host Shimizu S-Pulse in the 17th and final matchday of the first stage.
Urawa responds to 2014 heartbreak in rampant style
After throwing away the J. League championship last season, few could have expected Urawa Reds to respond so emphatically.
Urawa wrapped up the first-stage title with a week to spare on Saturday after a 1-1 draw with Vissel Kobe, claiming the silverware with an unbeaten record after 16 games, five points clear of its nearest challenger. The Saitama side’s iron resolve has made it almost unrecognizable from the team that blew a five-point lead with three games remaining last season, and few would now bet against Reds making it through the entire first stage without a defeat when they host Albirex Niigata on Saturday.
“Where we’ve grown is that now we’re able to dig in,” said captain Yuki Abe.
There has indeed been a new maturity and pragmatism about Urawa this season, but a rejigged attack has arguably made just as much of a difference.
Yuki Muto has proved a revelation since joining from Vegalta Sendai over the offseason, giving Reds the pace and incision to make their counterattacks count. Takahiro Sekine has responded to becoming a first-team regular with some excellent performances, while the arrival of Zlatan Ljubijankic from Omiya Ardija has given Reds a top-quality backup to Shinzo Koroki in attack.
In short, Urawa looks a much more clinical, effective team this season, and far less prone to the kind of anxious, muddled play that plagued it for so long in the past. But can the league leaders translate first-stage success into a long-awaited championship come the end of the season?
The revised two-stage format means a stage win does not carry quite as much importance as it did in its first incarnation from 1993-2004, and Reds were quick to turn their focus toward the overall points title that guarantees a place in the championship game.
“I’ve just won a title in my second year as a pro, but this is not our main goal so to be quite honest I didn’t know how I was supposed to celebrate,” said Sekine. “Personally, I feel calm.”
Make no mistake, Reds will have savored winning their first silverware since 2007. But unless it leads to the ultimate prize at the end of the season, it is unlikely to be remembered fondly.
Sato passes milestones
Is there any stopping Hisato Sato?
Sanfrecce Hiroshima’s talisman striker took his J. League career scoring tally to 202 goals with a hat trick in Saturday’s 5-1 mauling of Montedio Yamagata, 152 of those coming in the first division.
Sato only needs five more goals to match the 157 set by the top flight’s all-time scoring leader, Jubilo Iwata legend Masashi Nakayama, and having scored seven already this season, the 33-year-old looks a safe bet to break the record before the end of the year.
“I wanted to achieve this at our home stadium, but I still don’t feel it’s enough,” Sato said of passing the 200-goals mark, helped by his sixth career J1 hat trick.
“I want to become the kind of player who can score even more goals.”
S-Pulse beating slowly
The storm clouds are gathering over Shimizu S-Pulse.
The Shizuoka side, which narrowly avoided relegation for the first time in its history last season, lost 2-0 at home to resurgent Venforet Kofu on Saturday, dropping to dead last in the table for the first time in 10 years.
S-Pulse midfielder Genki Omae missed a late penalty to rub salt into the wound, and a repeat of last season’s great escape is looking far from assured.
“We knew how important this game was, and it’s frustrating that I missed and couldn’t contribute to a win,” said Omae. “I feel responsible, but there’s no point in looking backward.”
Quotable
“Let’s change the two-stage system!”
— Urawa Reds fans celebrate their first-stage title with a banner reminding the J. League that opposition to the new format is unlikely to go away soon.
【MATCH REPORT】ーS-PULSE 0-2 Ventforet Kofuー
S-PULSE 0-2 Ventforet KofuIAI Stadium Nihondaira
S-PULSE GOALS none
YELLOW CARDS Duke 58
RED CARDS none
ATTENDANCE 13288
LINE UPGK Kushibiki
DF Edamura, Inukai, Fukumura, Matsubara
MF Hattanda, Mizutani, Ishige, Duke
FW Omae, Utaka
SUBSTITUTES
Nagasawa on for Mizutani (52)
Uchida on for Ishige (75)
REPORTWith Ventforet Kofu’s home prefecture of Yamanashi bordering Shizuoka, the two regions comprise joint custodians of Japan’s most famous landmark; Mt Fuji. Accordingly, the matchup between S-Pulse and Ventforet has become known as the Mt Fuji Derby. This fixture carried extra weight on Saturday, on account of both teams’ respective positions at the wrong of the league table.
Never having lost a league meeting with Kofu, coupled with the five goal confidence boost in their last home game, S-Pulse headed into the match with statistics on their side and wind in their sails. However, the 11st minute saw a small part of Shimizu history return to haunt them. Striker Bare, who spent a short but productive spell in orange in 2013, rose to nod a cross back towards goal. The ball beat goalkeeper Kushibiki, and in an attempt to clear the danger, an orange boot sliced the ball into his own goal.
While the lion’s share of pressure and efforts came from the home team, the 51stminute addition of a second Kofu goal gave S-Pulse a mountain to climb. A penalty was won with ten minutes remaining but uncharacteristically Genki Omae’s spot kick was saved. A blow for the hosts, it gave the visiting team an injection of momentum with which to see out the 90 minutes.
The defeat saw S-Pulse drop to the bottom of the J1 standings, but such is the congested nature of the table, only two wins separate 18th place from 10th. With that in mind we must remain positive and work together to pull ourselves upwards! Even a short string of favourable results will change the complexion of the league table.
This league’s 1st stage comes to an end on Saturday with a trip to FC Tokyo. The table then resets ready for the second act of 2015’s multi-faceted season. Come December up to five teams will qualify to join the third stage, the championship playoff tournament. Relegation positions are decided simply by combining the first two parts however, so keeping track of S-Pulse’s quest for survival remains a straightforward matter.
Keep the faith!
NEXT GAMEMeiji Yasuda J1 League
Stage 1, 17th Sec
FC Tokyo v S-PULSE
Saturday June 26th, 7pm
Ajinomoto Stadium, Tokyo
MEIJI YASUDA J1 LEAGUE
| Standings | Club | Pts | Game | |
| 1 | Urawa Reds | 38 | 16 | |
| 2 | Sanfrecce Hiroshima | 33 | 16 | |
| 3 | F.C.Tokyo | 32 | 16 | |
| 4 | Gamba Osaka | 29 | 16 | |
| 5 | Kawasaki Frontale | 27 | 16 | |
| 6 | Yokohama F･Marinos | 25 | 16 | |
| 7 | Kashima Antlers | 22 | 16 | |
| 8 | Nagoya Grampus | 22 | 16 | |
| 9 | Vegalta Sendai | 20 | 16 | |
| 10 | Shonan Bellmare | 19 | 16 | |
| 11 | Sagan Tosu | 19 | 16 | |
| 12 | Ventforet Kofu | 19 | 16 | |
| 13 | Vissel Kobe | 18 | 16 | |
| 14 | Kashiwa Reysol | 17 | 16 | |
| 15 | Matsumoto Yamaga F.C. | 15 | 16 | |
| 16 | Montedio Yamagata | 14 | 16 | |
| 17 | Albirex Niigata | 14 | 16 | |
| 18 | Shimizu S-Pulse | 13 | 16 |
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