We start the reports this weekend at Kawasaki Frontale, who have a newly-esconsed coach in Yahiro Kazama, who replaced Soma last week. His first order of business was to bring Nishibe in as goalkeeper, and Morishita at centre back, alongside Inamoto, normally a central/defensive midfielder – did it work? Read on …

In the 15th minute, Sato spread the ball to Yamagishi in the left channel, and he advsnced and slid the ball past the keeper for the opening goal. Frontale were level just after the half hour mark when Nakamura fed the ball inch perfectly through a forest of legs for defender Ito to latch onto a sidefoot the ball past the keeper.

Less than seven minutes later Ishikawa out-muscled Inamoto – there’s a phrase I haven’t type often – and slipped the ball past Nishibe as he was falling to retake the lead for Sanfrecce into the break. And just after the break, Chiba found Mikic on the right with a long ball, he bulleted a low ball into the six yard area and Sato couldn’t miss, 3-1 to the away team. In the 78th minute it was Mikic again, this time with an inviting cross that Sato headed hom, 4-1, cruising. Three points, not a good start for Kazama Kawasaki.

Omiya took an early lead through a Carlinhos header, before Junpei Takaki leveled the scores in added time before the break. Then Jade North thought he had scored from a corner to give Consadole the lead – goalline technology not yet installed in Japan and definitely no slow motion close-up replays of that one, just in case a mistake was highlighted!! As it was, it was Takuya Aoki who got the winner for Omiya, as Tsubouchi slipped him the feed and his right foot shot curled away from the keeper and in at the far post. Another win for Omiya, finally living up to their potential?

Marinos finally got their first win of the season, after going behind to Tsubasa Oya’s first ever J.League goal 12 mknutes after half time. Vissel. though, already playing without Okubo, lost Tashiro to injury before the break. The home team came back with three goals in under seven minutes, all coming through some slack marking by the Vissel defence. Yuji Ono scored the first with a diving header, just when right back Okui thought he was clearing the ball. Taniguchi headed home the second, unchallenged and Nakazawa added the insurance goal when an incoming free kick was seemingly left to go out by the Vissel keeper and Nakazawa’s knee probably knew little of the goal, but was not complaining!

Both teams were considering a coaching change and this probably put the nail in the coffin of Wada, for Vissel, with Akira Nishino hovering in the background. Meanwhile, Marinos fans were probably wondering if this win had just postponed the inevitable and kept their coaching team intact for another game or two?!

Gamba capitulated big time to a team that is struggling beside them near the bottom. Both teams have finally seen a mini-revival after dire starts to the season, but it was the home team that continued that revival with an easy win against the team from Osaka. Goals from Endo (just before half time with a super left-foot blast from 18 yards out), Koroki, Osako (making the most of a deflection, and a terrible miss from Gamba keeper Fujigaya) and Motoyama saw Kashima boost their goal difference and their confidence, while Gamba returned home deflated. Perhaps they should be signing up out-of-work coach Akira Nishino, before Vissel Kobe do!!