Champions Gamba continue rapid slide
Japanese champions Gamba Osaka continued their alarming slide after sweeping all before them last season as they were beaten 5-3 by Kawasaki Frontale. The 2014 domestic treble winners finished fourth in this year's J-League first stage and fell to eighth in the second stage standings after a torrid visit to eastern Japan.
Former Japan striker Yoshito Okubo found the net twice for Kawasaki, who won a frenetic game to keep alive their slim title hopes. Frontale improved to 23 points from 13 second-stage matches, five adrift of leaders Sanfrecce Hiroshima, beaten 1-0 at home by FC Tokyo on Saturday. Gamba have 22 points.
Kashima Antlers joined Hiroshima on 28 points after a 2-0 win at Vissel Kobe, setting up a thrilling finale. Okubo settled a see-saw game by converting from the penalty spot with 15 minutes to go before teeing up Brazilian Elsinho for Kawasaki's fifth to add insult to injury for the visitors.
"There are still four games to play but if I keep scoring the team will be in with a chance (for the title)," Okubo told local media after notching two more goals to give him a league-leading 21 for the season. "I'll keep doing my job for the team and the results will follow."
First-stage winners Urawa Reds were held to a 1-1 home draw by lowly Sagan Tosu on Saturday and currently occupy fourth place.
Meanwhile, former Celtic midfielder Shunsuke Nakamura rolled back the years with a sublime free kick to ice a 3-1 win for Yokohama F-Marinos at northern club Vegalta Sendai. The misery continued for bottom club Shimizu S-Pulse as a 1-0 defeat away to fellow strugglers Matsumoto left them marooned at the foot of the first-division table on just eight points.
Okubo pips Usami to seal enthralling Frontale victory
Yoshito Okubo was instrumental for Kawasaki Frontale on Sunday as they emerged triumphant from a thrilling game against Gamba Osaka that finished 5-3.
Frontale set out to ensure their hosts would not settle and got the breakthrough inside two minutes when Yoshihiro Nakano’s delivery evaded everyone in the Gamba box before Okubo fired into an empty net.
Takashi Usami, Okubo’s main rival in this season’s MEIJI YASUDA J1 League goalscoring charts, then tried to respond for his team but sent an audacious lob wide of an empty net after meeting a clearance first-time, with Shota Arai stranded.
The Japanese champions did find a way back when Arai could only push Yasuhito Endo’s delivery into the path of Patric, who was left with an easy finish.
Kenta Hasegawa’s men would have been content to head into half time with the score level at 1-1 but Kengo Nakamura had other plans, conjuring up a goal out of nothing when he unleashed a shot from range that Masaaki Higashiguchi should have reacted faster to.
Nakano then exploited hesitant defending after the break to burst through a crowd of Gamba players before driving in low to put his side 3-1 ahead, but still the visitors refused to give up.
The furious pace of the game continued as Patric got up at the other end to plant the ball into the net with a firm header from Endo’s corner, before Shu Kurata temporarily equalised when he met a quality cross with a first-time finish.
With the teams deadlocked, it was left to Okubo to decide the encounter, which he swung in favour of Frontale from the penalty spot after Koki Yonekura crudely halted Shintaro Kurumaya’s charge into the Gamba box.
Last term’s top scorer - who moves up to 21 goals this season and two clear of Usami in the scoring charts - then turned provider for Elsinho to seal an excellent result for their team.
S-Pulse striker Murata out with fractured collarbone
Shimizu S-Pulse on Sunday announced that striker Kazuya Murata will need four weeks to recover from a fractured left collarbone.
The 26-year-old suffered the injury in a training match against Nagoya Grampus on September 27.
Murata joined S-Pulse in 2013 and has managed one goal in 14 appearances for S-Pulse this season.
His side are currently last in the MEIJI YASUDA J1 League second stage standings, after being defeated 1-0 by Matsumoto Yamaga on Saturday.
| StandingsJAPAN: J-League - Second stage | |||||
| Round 31 | |||||
| 17.10. 02:00 | FC Tokyo | Shonan | |||
| 17.10. 02:00 | G-Osaka | Urawa | |||
| 17.10. 02:00 | Hiroshima | Kawasaki Frontale | |||
| 17.10. 02:00 | Kashima | Kashiwa | |||
| 17.10. 02:00 | Shimizu | Vegalta Sendai | |||
| 17.10. 02:00 | Yokohama M. | Kobe | |||
| 17.10. 06:30 | Albirex Niigata | Yamaga | |||
| 17.10. 06:30 | Tosu | Nagoya | |||
| 17.10. 07:00 | Montedio Yamagata | Kofu | |||
J-League
| StandingsJAPAN: J-League - Second stage | |||||
| Round 30 | |||||
| 04.10. 02:00 | Kawasaki Frontale | G-Osaka | 5 : 3 | ||
| 03.10. 07:00 | Hiroshima | FC Tokyo | 0 : 1 | ||
| 03.10. 07:00 | Kashiwa | Nagoya | 3 : 1 | ||
| 03.10. 06:30 | Kofu | Albirex Niigata | 0 : 0 | ||
| 03.10. 04:00 | Shonan | Montedio Yamagata | 0 : 1 | ||
| 03.10. 04:00 | Urawa | Tosu | 1 : 1 | ||
| 03.10. 03:00 | Kobe | Kashima | 0 : 2 | ||
| 03.10. 03:00 | Yamaga | Shimizu | 1 : 0 | ||
| 03.10. 02:00 | Vegalta Sendai | Yokohama M. | 1 : 3 | ||
| Round 29 | |||||
| 26.09. 07:30 | Nagoya | Kobe | 2 : 0 | ||
| 26.09. 07:00 | Albirex Niigata | Kawasaki Frontale | 1 : 2 | ||
| 26.09. 06:30 | FC Tokyo | Yamaga | 1 : 0 | ||
| 26.09. 04:00 | G-Osaka | Kashiwa | 3 : 1 | ||
| 26.09. 03:00 | Kashima | Urawa | 1 : 2 | ||
| 26.09. 03:00 | Shimizu | Hiroshima | 1 : 5 | ||
| 26.09. 03:00 | Shonan | Yokohama M. | 1 : 1 | ||
| 26.09. 03:00 | Tosu | Kofu | 0 : 1 | ||
| 26.09. 02:00 | Montedio Yamagata | Vegalta Sendai | 1 : 1 | ||
| Round 26 | |||||
| 23.09. 02:00 | Yamaga | Montedio Yamagata | 2 : 2 | ||
MEIJI YASUDA J1 LEAGUE(2nd)
| Standings | Club | Pts | Game | |
| 1 | Sanfrecce Hiroshima | 28 | 13 | |
| 2 | Kashima Antlers | 28 | 13 | |
| 3 | F.C.Tokyo | 24 | 13 | |
| 4 | Urawa Reds | 24 | 13 | |
| 5 | Kawasaki Frontale | 23 | 13 | |
| 6 | Kashiwa Reysol | 23 | 13 | |
| 7 | Yokohama F･Marinos | 22 | 13 | |
| 8 | Gamba Osaka | 22 | 13 | |
| 9 | Shonan Bellmare | 17 | 13 | |
| 10 | Nagoya Grampus | 17 | 13 | |
| 11 | Albirex Niigata | 16 | 13 | |
| 12 | Vissel Kobe | 13 | 13 | |
| 13 | Ventforet Kofu | 13 | 13 | |
| 14 | Sagan Tosu | 12 | 13 | |
| 15 | Matsumoto Yamaga F.C. | 12 | 13 | |
| 16 | Montedio Yamagata | 10 | 13 | |
| 17 | Vegalta Sendai | 9 | 13 | |
| 18 | Shimizu S-Pulse | 8 | 13 |
Frontale beat Gamba in thriller to stay in title contention
KAWASAKI – Yoshito Okubo scored twice and Kawasaki Frontale kept alive their hopes of winning the second-stage title with a thrilling 5-3 win over defending champions Gamba Osaka in the J. League first division on Sunday.
Okubo gave Frontale an early lead and a peach from captain Kengo Nakamura made it 2-1 on the stroke of halftime after Patric had pulled one back for the visitors.
A fine solo effort from Yoshihiro Nakano made it 3-1 early in the second half, but former Kawasaki forward Patric struck again before substitute Shu Kurata grabbed the equalizer on 71 minutes.
However, Okubo swung the game back in Kawasaki’s favor when he stroked home his league-leading 21st goal of the season from the penalty spot with 15 minutes left and then set up an easy fifth for Elsinho.
“The players looked like they were having fun but it was hard work watching from the bench,” joked Kawasaki boss Yahiro Kazama.
The result puts Kawasaki on 23 points, five behind second-stage leaders Sanfrecce Hiroshima with four games remaining. Gamba have 22 points.
“Obviously there are teams better placed than us to win the championship but there also games directly between teams in contention and we just have to keep winning,” said Kazama. “At the end of the day, all we can do is keep up the challenge.”
Frontale came into the game looking to extend their three-match winning streak and they made a dream start as Okubo struck with less than 90 seconds gone.
Nakano weaved his way into the box from the left flank and put the ball across the face of goal and Okubo darted in at the far post to tap in a simple finish.
“Today we were up against Gamba, so we were very determined to get an early goal and getting one made things easier on the team,” said Okubo. “Nakano put it on a plate for me and it was just a case of sweeping it in. Nakano did really well.”
Okubo nearly doubled the lead in the 10th minute after a flowing move, but Gamba goalkeeper Masaaki Higashiguchi was equal to his stinging shot from the edge of the area.
Higashiguchi then got down to thwart Elsinho from close range midway through the first period.
Gamba looked sluggish after their midweek exertions in the Asian Champions League and were unable to create many opportunities of note in the first half, but Patric scored against the run of play to make it all square three minutes before halftime.
Kawasaki goalkeeper Shota Arai could not hold onto a cross-cum-shot from Yasuhito Endo and Patric gleefully snapped up the loose ball before wheeling away in delight and pumping his fist wildly in front of the Frontale supporters.
But Nakamura put Frontale back in front with virtually the last kick of the first half, taking a pass from Kenyu Sugimoto and rattling a beauty in off the inside of the left-hand post for his team’s 700th goal in the top flight.
Kawasaki extended their lead 10 minutes into the second half, Nakano squeezing between two defenders and drilling home to finish off a surging run into the box.
Gamba reduced the arrears on 66 minutes when Patric connected with a cross from Yasuhito Endo to complete his brace with a thumping header.
Kurata drove home a cross from Koki Yonekura to make it 3-3 but Okubo sent Higashiguchi the wrong way from the spot after Yonekura had fouled Shintaro Kurumaya and then provided an assist for Elsinho to roll into an empty net and seal victory.
“I was getting a bit worried about penalties,” said Okubo, who missed from the spot against Matsumoto Yamaga in June and also told reporters he had also failed to covert one in a training match.
“I didn’t want to dwell on that and I thought I would just take one today without worrying about whether I was going to miss it or not.”
Reds, Tosu settle for 1-1 draw
SAITAMA – Urawa Reds moved a step closer to the J. League overall points title despite squandering a lead in a 1-1 draw with Sagan Tosu on Saturday.
Urawa began the day two points ahead of Sanfrecce Hiroshima in the overall table — the winner of which goes directly to the J. League championship decider — and looked on course for another three points when Shinzo Koroki opened the scoring in the 23rd minute.
But Yutaka Yoshida equalized eight minutes later to ensure that Urawa would enjoy anything but a comfortable afternoon at Saitama Stadium, and the home side ended the match indebted to goalkeeper Shusaku Nishikawa as Tosu threatened to plunder a late winner.
Sanfrecce’s superior goal difference would have seen them take over at the top with a win over FC Tokyo later in the evening, but a 1-0 win for third-place Tokyo now leaves Reds three points clear at the top with four games of the regular season remaining.
“We knew that Tosu would defend in numbers and that it would be difficult to break them down, but even though we conceded, we didn’t fall apart,” said Nishikawa.
“We had chances to score and the fact that we didn’t take them is something that we have to work on. The important thing is that we didn’t lose. We still have four games left, and now we have to get down to training and get ready for them.”
Substitute Ryota Hayasaka almost put Tosu ahead late in the second half only for Nishikawa to deny him in a one-on-one duel, and visiting manager Hitoshi Morishita was disappointed that his 14th-placed side could not go on to pull off an unlikely win.
“Honestly, the way we played today, we wanted to win the game,” said Morishita. “We defended the way Sagan Tosu do, but we were also brave in attack and we managed to express ourselves. If we are able to play that way here, that is something positive that we can take from the game.”
Reds controlled the match from the kickoff, and it was little surprise when Koroki broke the deadlock midway through the first half. Yosuke Kashiwagi hit a corner deep to Yuki Muto at the back post, and when Tosu goalkeeper Akihiro Hayashi parried his shot, Koroki was on hand to bury the rebound.
Less than 10 minutes later, Tosu equalized against the run of play. Yoshida darted into the box before hitting a shot that spun up off Nishikawa, and the home side could do nothing but watch in horror as the ball bounced into the back of the net.
“We knew that we wouldn’t get many chances to score today,” said Yoshida. “I wasn’t able to trap the ball the way I wanted to, but I hit it with everything I had.”
Tsukasa Umesaki and Tomoaki Makino both went close to restoring Urawa’s advantage before the interval. But when Reds midfielder Tomoya Ugajin clattered into manager Mihailo Petrovic on the touchline early in the second half — sending him sprawling to the turf — it was clear that things were no longer going the home side’s way.
Sagan were playing with far greater ambition and fluency, and Nishikawa had to come to Urawa’s rescue against Hayasaka in the 76th minute.
Hayasaka missed another chance to snatch all three points when Tomotaka Okamoto rolled the ball to him across the face of goal in the 86th minute, but Muto also glanced a header against the crossbar in injury time as both sides ended the game looking for the victory.
“We were determined to win today, and I can’t fault my players for their attitude,” said Petrovic. “It was just the last pass and the accuracy that were missing today.”
Elsewhere in the J. League, Kashima Antlers stayed hot on Sanfrecce’s heels in the race for the second-stage title with a 2-0 win over Vissel Kobe. Antlers now trail Sanfrecce only on goal difference in the second-stage table.
Relegation-threatened Montedio Yamagata made a late push for survival with a 1-0 win over Shonan Bellmare, but Shimizu S-Pulse slipped closer to the J1 exit after a 1-0 loss to Matsumoto Yamaga.
Shunsuke Nakamura scored a trademark free kick in Yokohama F. Marinos’ 3-1 win over Vegalta Sendai, Ventforet Kofu and Albirex Niigata drew 0-0, while Masato Kudo scored twice as Kashiwa Reysol beat Nagoya Grampus 3-1.
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