In one sense, the season was atypical. The championship race for both the first stage and the second stage were decided fairly early. However, a host of other factors, including the historic rivalry between Kashima Antlers and Jubilo Iwata, as well as a race to avoid relegation that included two former J.League champions, helped to make it an exciting season in every way

The popularity of the J.League was also helped by the success of Japan's national team. Despite an ignominious start to the year, with Japan being crushed 5-0 by France in the Stade de France, Japan rebounded to finish second in the Confederations Cup, after stirring performances over quality teams like Cameroon, Brazil and Australia. Closing out the year with a 1-1 draw against Italy, the national team made it clear that it would be a legitimate contender at the 2002 World Cup

The J.League's first stage campaign turned into a runaway victory for Jubilo Iwata. The team surged out to a huge lead with eight consecutive wins, and then cruised home despite a host of injuries late in the stage. Never before had a team clinched the crown so early, and the margin of victory over second-place Nagoya Grampus was a stunning nine points. Based on their form in the First Stage, many believed that Jubilo would storm through the second stage as well, and become the first team ever to claim an uncontested league championship

But Jubilo's traditional nemesis, Kashima Antlers, would put such fancies to rest very early in the second stage. The 2000 treble winners came back from a first stage that was plagued by injury to reel off seven straight victories in the second stage. Although the team stumbled a bit at midseason, a fine performance down the stretch allowed Antlers to clinch the second stage crown with a week to spare.

The championship series between Kashima Antlers and Jubilo Iwata was a thrill-packed contest. In the first leg, Jubilo Iwata went up by two goals, following a first-half PK and an early-second-half strike by veteran "Gon" Nakayama. The Antlers were reduced to 10 men following a hasty call by the referee, who handed Takayuki Suzuki a red card for what looked like an inadvertent hand ball. Yet the Antlers refused to give up, and fought back late in the second half, scoring first on Yutaka Akita's header from a corner kick, and then clinching the draw when Tomoyuki Hirase pounced on a ball that was bobbled by Jubilo keeper Arno vanZwam and fired it home.

In the second leg, the two teams battled ferociously for 90 minutes, but neither team managed to score. The title was decided early in the first extra time period, on one of the most memorable "Golden Goals" in League history. Following a surge of pressure from Jubilo, young midfielder Mitsuo Ogasawara collected a long clearance at midfield, and charged down the center of the pitch until finally hauled down from behind about 30 yards out.

After a long argument about whether a red card was called for, and repeated delays in setting up the Jubilo wall, Ogasawara finally got his chance to take the kick. With a coolness that would typify his style of play for the next two decades, and earn him the nicnkame "The Baby-faced Assassin", he curled the free kick just over the wall and into the low right corner of the net. With an understated clenching of the fist, Ogasawara fell on his back and smiled up at the evening sky, as teammates piled on top of him in celebration. Kashima claimed a 1-0 victory (3-2 on aggregate). and moved past Verdy to become the most successful team in J.League history -- a status they retain to this day.

Scoring Leaders

J.League Awards, 2001