Gamba start their defence successfully!

Coming up, J2 comments after the latest round – played on Wednesday night. First of all, though, the Emperor’s Cup 2nd-round results from yesterday. Two home defeats for high-flying J2 teams by university teams!(The slogan of Zweigen Kanazawa is, “From Ishikawa to the J-League, from Ishikawa to the world!”. No lack of ambition down there!:-))

I was expecting a hatful of goals from the boys trying to oust the 1st XI… well, we got two…

After a quiet 1st half, Gamba took out Omiya with a superb 2nd half display.

In the game that had to be “continued” after being abandoned because of torrential rain a few weeks back with Frontale leading 3-1, Antlers didn’t waste any time, it seems (according to the coverage on the J.League home page) in making two substitutions AND pulled a goal back through Iwamasa on 74 minutes but, as I write, with a minute to go, it’s still 3-2 to Kawasaki – the away team – and another defeat for Kashima looms?! In fact, it’s all over now!! Frontale up to 49 points, Antlers lose again

All sorts of salacious stuff to talk about on the day that Antlers and Frontale play out the last 10 minutes of a game abandoned a few weeks ago… and, as Alanis Morissette once said – isn’t it ironic that the biggest typhoon of the season is on the way right now! Anyway, read on to find out who will be the Japan NT coach in 2010…. where those relegated players will be moving to… and more :-)… sure this is very Kansai-centric, but that’s where most of my contacts are!

Oita 15 points away from safety – so they’re gone.JEF 8 points away from safety, and only seven games to go? Another miracle needed to save them!Reysol, Montedio and Ardija will fight it out for the remaining place, unless Vissel, Kyoto, or maybe even Marinos or Jubilo hit a HUGE slump!Tokyo, Reds and Grampus in no-man’s land…. but Nagoya in the last four of the ACL (despite that offside winning goal from Kennedy??!).

With Antlers’ slump continuing, S-Pulse carrying on their hot streak and Gamba, Frontale and Albirex all winning… it is looking as tight as it was three years ago at the top of J1 – see for yourself! And, presuming Frontale hold on to their two goal lead in the final 15 minutes or so of the game that has to be finished – after being stopped due to rain a few weeks back – we’ll see them join Gamba on 49 points AND +15 goal difference. FOUR teams within a point of each other at the top and hardly a goal (difference) between them all? It’s going to be a BIG finish!

Without young star Kagawa, nursing a sore little toe on his right foot, Cerezo just managed to squeeze past bottom-placed Tochigi SC at Nagai last week …. Bellmare held on for their 1-0 win …..Anyway, here come this week-end’s results and the latest table. Nine games to go after this!

Report made for the Vissel web site…