In the first stage, the Yokohama Marinos edged out Cerezo Osaka and Shimizu S-Pulse, thanks to the emergence of Shunsuke Nakamura as a key playmaker for both the Marinos and for the national team. In Osaka, Cerezo midfield general Hiroaki Morishima also had a fine year both for his team and as a key member of Japan's Asia Cup championship team.

However, in the second half of the year a resurgent Kashima Antlers team snatched victory from Kashiwa Reysol in the final match of the season -- a head to head contest that ended in a scoreless draw to allow Antlers to sneak through. The Antlers rode to victory on the backs of several young stars from the Japan Olympic team, such as Masashi Motoyama, Mitsuo Ogasawara, Koji Nakata and Tomoyuki Hirase. The emergence of these core players suggested that the Antlers were ready to become a dominant force in the league for years to come.

In the two legs of the Championship Series, the Antlers put their stamp on one of their most successful seasons ever. Although Yokohama was probably the most worthy opponent in the league, the Antlers had reached their peak by the end of the season, while Yokohama peaked early. The Antlers defence, in particular, was in fine form, allowing not a single goal from their opponents over the final two regular season matches and both of the championship games.

Yokohama battled to a scoreless draw at the match in Yokohama Stadium, so the return leg in Tokyo's National Stadium was for all the marbles. The first 20 minutes of the contest were dominated by the Marinos, with the Antlers just sitting back in a defensive shell, fending off the Marinos attacks and occasionally sending a long ball forward for Atsushi Yanagisawa or Takayuki Suzuki to run for. Yet this seemed to be almost deliberate. Though the Antlers were on the defensive, they never looked in danger of cracking. In fact, the Marinos didnt even get off a single shot on goal. The rock-solid back line of Soma, Fabiano, Akita and Narahashi coolly broke up every single Marinos thrust.

As the game wore on, the strategy began to pay off. Frustrated by their inability to penetrate into the final third of the pitch, the Marinos midfielders began pushing further forward in support, leaving acres of open space on the wings. In the 21st minute, the Antlers finally got the counterattack they had been patiently waiting for. After a sudden surge into attack and a mad scramble in front of the net, the ball bounded into the net for the opening goal . . . but the linesman's flag was up. The goal was disallowed. Despite this disappointment, it was apparent that the tide was starting to turn. In the 29th minute, lightning finally struck.

After breaking up a Marinos play in the center of the field, the Antlers broke out of their zone and Ogasawara found Takayuki Suzuki with a defender on his back. Suzuki screened the ball beautifully, fending off the challenge and leaving his defender on the ground as he broke into the Marinos zone. Turning the left corner, Suzuki sent the ball inside to his partner up front, Atsushi Yanagisawa, who was posting up the final two defenders. Yanagisawa one-timed the ball back to Suzuki who now had an open path to the left post. As Yanagisawa broke to the center of the penalty area, Suzuki faked the pass and got Kawaguchi leaning the wrong way, then drilled the ball just inside the upright to put the Antlers up 1-0.

Having conceded the lead, the Marinos attacks grew even more desperate and their midfield more overextended. With no weapons to crack the Antlers defence, it seemed to be only a matter of time before another counterattack would shove the dagger in deeper. The Antlers got their second goal on a set play after just such a counterattack resulted in a foul on the right sideline. Bismarck took the free kick, which was headed out to defender Yutaka Akita at midfield. As the Marinos rushed out, Akita spotted Akira Narahashi on the right wing and looped the ball over the top as Narahashi broke for goal. With all of the Marinos players running at top speed in the opposite direction, Narahashi had 20 meters of open space when he received the ball, and the only challenge was trapping it before Yoshikatsu Kawaguchi could get out of his net, and fire it into the roof of the net.

Scoring Leaders

J.League Awards, 2000