Machida Zelvia 1-7 Urawa Reds
” title=”Zelvia v Reds”>

Gamba Osaka 2-0 Kawasaki Frontale
” title=”Gamba v Frontale”>

Kashiwa Reysol 2-1 Ventforet Kofu (After Extra Time)
” title=”Reysol v Ventforet”>

Vegalta Sendai 2-1 Matsumoto Yamaga
” title=”Vegalta v Yamaga”>

Tokushima Vortis 1-2 Sanfrecce Hiroshima
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FC Tokyo 2-0 Mito HollyHock
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Sagan Tosu 4-3 Montedio Yamagata
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At the bottom of J1, S-Pulse are down, and Montedio are all but gone, but mathematically in with a chance of survival as I write. Again, worth noting just in case there is any confusion, the relegation places are decided on the overall season/two stages combined table. Matsumoto Yamaga need to make up five points on Vissel Kobe, or six on Sagan or Albirex to reach safety. A tall order, right?

At the top of J2, Omiya Ardija appeared to have the Championship sewn up weeks ago but are now doing their best to lose it. Jubilo are just two points clear of Avispa Fukuoka with the top two going up to J1 without a play-off fight. Fukuoka seem to be the favourites of many now, while Cerezo Osaka have faded away in the last few games although are still well withing the play-off spots.

The play-offs will be 3rd-placed team v 6th placed, and 4th v 5th, over two legs, with a final play-off for a spot in J1 between the winners of those two ties.

Verdy have dropped a few points recently, while Ehime have also flirted with that 6th spot. Giravanz looked good for the play-offs earlier in the season but are not five points away, while the unlikely names of Roasso Kumamoto and Tokushima Vortis have risen into the frame, although it would be a huge surprise, but there are still 15 points to play for in five remaining games. Anythong COULD (and will?) happen.

At the bottom of J2 Tochigi are six points away from safely, although only two points away from earning a play-off spot – as opposed to straight relegation – against the 2nd placed J3 team. FC Gifu have flirted with wins but have dropped back into danger, just four points clear of Oita in that 2nd relegation (play-off) spot. With five matches to go Kyoto Sanga and Mito HollyHock are still well within reach of the lower teams, too.

At the top of J3 Yamaguchi Renofa are looking good for promotion as the Champions, while Machida Zelvia have pulled away from Nagano going for that play-off spot.

At the bottom of J3 we see the J.League Under 22 selection who, of course couldn’t be relegated anyway, although it seems will be replaced by an Under 19 team next season?! Fujieda MYFC are ten points clear of Y.S.C.C. although it should be noted that no teams will be relegated this season as the J3 expansion continues. With rumours of four (at least) “2nd XI” teams from J1 being added to J3 next season, including Gamba Osaka and Urawa Reds, interesting times are ahead! Not necessarily well-received times, though?!

It must be confidence-boosting for Sanfrecce and Vissel to be “riding high” and for the likes of Reysol, Grampus and Kofu, for example, to be gaining points and entering the top 6.

A long way to go but confidence and a winning mentality always help in the long run.

Points shown only

1 Sanfrecce Hiroshima 9
2 Vissel Kobe 7
3 Kashiwa Reysol 6
4 Kawasaki Frontale 4
4 Ventforet Kofu 4
6 Nagoya Grampus 4
6 Gamba Osaka 4
8 Sagan Tosu 4
9 Urawa Reds 4
9 F.C.Tokyo 4
11 Kashima Antlers 4
11 Shonan Bellmare 4
13 Montedio Yamagata 3
14 Albirex Niigata 3
15 Matsumoto Yamaga F.C. 3
16 Yokohama F･Marinos 2
17 Shimizu S-Pulse 2
18 Vegalta Sendai 1

I say “relief” as, according to the rules in many leagues around the world the Football Associations state that if action was taken by the referee for the original offence it should be taken as “done, and no further action can be taken.  Many in the game wondered if anything else could be done to punish the player.

I suggested on Twitter that the referee had not seen the offence and had actually given the yellow card for the original foul that had forced Kanazaki to the floor. This was, indeed, the case after the J.League announced the suspension – that will take in two J.League games and two Nabisco Cup matches – after it was decided that the referee had not seen the incident and the card was “only” for the original foul, before the stamp took place.

Sagan Tosu issued an apology to Kashima Antlers, to the player himself, and to the J.League.

Sagan Tosu’s sometime national team goalkeeper Akihiro Hayashi condemned the action by his team mate, saying he never wanted to see anything like that on a football field but also expressed dismay at the anti-South Korean comments.

So… justice done? Or too lenient? You decide! One thing is for sure, an inch or two either way and there could have been some very serious damage to Kanazaki’s eyes or mouth … both the “victim” and perpetrator can consider themselves lucky this incident did not turn out much worse.

Let’s hope we do not see anything like this on a Japanese football field again!

 FC Gifu MINAMO

Giravanz Kitakyushu GIRAN

Mito HollyHock HOLLY-kun

Fagiano Okayama FAGI-MARU

Jubilo Iwata JUBILO-kun

Ehime FC IYOKANTA

Kyoto Sanga PURSA-kun

Yokohama FC FULIE MARU

J.League Mascot – Mr. PITCH!

 JEF United JEFFY

Thespakusatsu Gunma YUUTO

Kashiwa Reysol Rey-kun

Roasso Kumamoto ROASSO-kun

Omiya Ardija ARDY

Shonan Bellmare KING BELL I

Cerezo Osaka ROBI

Zweigen Kanazawa GENJI

Tokushima Vortis VORTA-kun

Albirex Niigata ALBI-kun

Urawa Reds REDIA

Tochigi SC TOKKY

Kashima Antlers SHIKAO

Tokyo Verdy VERDY-kun

Sagan Tosu WINTOSU

Shimizu S-Pulse PUL-chan

Avispa Fukuoka AVI-kun

Oita Trinita NEETAN

Vissel Kobe MOVI

Gamba Osaka GAMBA BOY

FC Tokyo TOKYO DOROMPA

Nagoya Grampus GRAMPUS-kun

Yokohama F•Marinos MARINOSUKE

Ventforet Kofu VAN-kun

Matsumoto Yamaga GANS-kun

Kawasaki Frontale FRONTA

 Vegalta Sendai VEGATTA

V-Varen Nagasaki VIVI-kun

Montedio Yamagata DIIO

NUMBER 1!!  Sanfrecce Hiroshima SANCCE

Yokohama F•Marinos v Ventforet Kofu
Sanfrecce Hiroshima v Vissel Kobe
FC Tokyo v Kashiwa Reysol
Gamba Osaka v Sagan Tosu
Omiya Ardija v Shimizu S-Pulse
Cerezo Osaka v Urawa Reds
Kawasaki Frontale v Vegalta Sendai
Tokushima Vortis v Kashima Antlers
Nagoya Grampus v Albirex Niigata

J2
Sunday – September 28th

Roasso Kumamoto v Giravanz Kitakyushu
Oita Trinita v V-Varen Nagasaki
Fagiano Okayama v Mito Hollyhock
Kataller Toyama v Avispa Fukuoka
Matsumoto Yamaga v Consadole Sapporo
Jubilo Iwata v Ehime FC
Montedio Yamagata v Kamatamare Sanuki
Thespakusatsu Gunma v Tochigi SC
Kyoto Sanga v Yokohama FC
JEF United Chiba v Tokyo Verdy
Shonan Bellmare v FC Gifu

Japan squad, as chosen by Javier Aguirre today, 15.30 for games against Uruguay and Venezuela.

Goalkeepers:
Eiji Kawashima (Standard Liege, Belgium)
Shusaku Nishikawa (Urawa Reds)
Akihiro Hayashi (Sagan Tosu)

Defenders:
Hiroki Mizumoto (Sanfrecce Hiroshima)
Yuto Nagatomo (Manchester Un… uh, sorry Inter Milan, Italy)
Masato Morishige (FC Tokyo)
Maya Yoshida (Southampton, England)
Hiroki Sakai (Hanover 96, Germany)
Tatsuya Sakai (Sagan Tosu)
Gotoku Sakai (VfB Stuttgart, Germany)
Ken Matsubara (Albirex Niigata)

Midfield:
Makoto Hasebe (Eintracht Frankfurt, Germany)
Hajime Hosogai (Hertha Berlin, Germany)
Ryota Morioka (VIssel Kobe)
Takahiro Ogihara (Cerezo Osaka)
Gaku Shibasaki (Kashima Antlers)
Junya Tanaka (Sporting Lisbon, Portugal)

Forwards:
Shinji Okazaki (FSV Mainz 05, Germany)
Keisuke Honda (AC Milan, Italy)
Yoichiro Kakitani (FC Basel, Switzerland)
Yuya Osako (FC Koln, Germany)
Yusuke Minagawa (Sanfrecce Hiroshima)
Yoshinori Muto (FC Tokyo)

What do you think? Who is missing? Who is a shock?

GK
川島　永嗣　ｶﾜｼﾏ ｴｲｼﾞ（スタンダール・リエージュ／ベルギー）
西川　周作　ﾆｼｶﾜ ｼｭｳｻｸ（浦和レッズ）
林　彰洋　ﾊﾔｼ ｱｷﾋﾛ（サガン鳥栖）

DF
水本　裕貴 ﾐｽﾞﾓﾄ ﾋﾛｷ（サンフレッチェ広島）
長友　佑都 ﾅｶﾞﾄﾓ ﾕｳﾄ（インテル・ミラノ／イタリア）
森重　真人 ﾓﾘｼｹﾞ ﾏｻﾄ（ＦＣ東京）
吉田　麻也 ﾖｼﾀﾞ ﾏﾔ（サウサンプトン／イングランド）
酒井　宏樹 ｻｶｲ ﾋﾛｷ（ハノーファー96／ドイツ）
坂井　達弥 ｻｶｲ ﾀﾂﾔ（サガン鳥栖）＊
酒井　高徳 ｻｶｲ ｺﾞｳﾄｸ（VfBシュツットガルト／ドイツ）
松原　健 ﾏﾂﾊﾞﾗ ｹﾝ（アルビレックス新潟）＊

MF
長谷部　誠 ﾊｾﾍﾞ ﾏｺﾄ（アイントラハト・フランクフルト／ドイツ）
細貝　萌　ﾎｿｶﾞｲ ﾊｼﾞﾒ（ヘルタ・ベルリン／ドイツ）
田中　順也　ﾀﾅｶ ｼﾞｭﾝﾔ（スポルティング／ポルトガル）
森岡　亮太　ﾓﾘｵｶ ﾘｮｳﾀ（ヴィッセル神戸）＊
扇原　貴宏　ｵｳｷﾞﾊﾗ ﾀｶﾋﾛ（セレッソ大阪）
柴崎　岳　ｼﾊﾞｻｷ ｶﾞｸ（鹿島アントラーズ）

FW
岡崎　慎司　ｵｶｻﾞｷ ｼﾝｼﾞ（1.FSVマインツ05／ドイツ）
本田　圭佑　ﾎﾝﾀﾞ ｹｲｽｹ（ACミラン／イタリア）
柿谷　曜一朗　ｶｷﾀﾆ ﾖｳｲﾁﾛｳ（FCバーゼル1893／スイス）
大迫　勇也　ｵｵｻｺ ﾕｳﾔ（1.FCケルン／ドイツ）
皆川　佑介　ﾐﾅｶﾞﾜ ﾕｳｽｹ（サンフレッチェ広島）＊
武藤　嘉紀　ﾑﾄｳ ﾖｼﾉﾘ（ＦＣ東京）＊

※「＊」は日本代表初選出。

Head to Head – Tosu won the only meeting so far between these clubs, 1-0 at home, earlier this season.

Match Preview – There is a LOT riding on this match for both teams. If Sagan Tosu win it they claim an ACL place for 2013 in their maiden season in J1 – an astonishing feat, with a team of players who are exactly that – a team – no stars, no primadonnas, just a great team. Apart from long-term injury victim Yeo’s absence they have no selection problems and must be confident after four wins in-a-row coming into this game.

Yokohama F.Marinos also have a final chance – slim though it might be – to qualify for the ACL. Their goal difference is better than the teams around them, and equal to Tosu’s so, if they beat Tosu they go above them. Then they must pray that Res and Grampus draw against each other and Reysol are also stymied by Antlers. Not THAT impossible to consider, actually. Sagan have been average away from home (or they could have been challenging for the Championship today!), so EXPECT a WIN for YOKOHAMA F.MARINOS!

Head to Head
13 wins for Tosu, 10 for Consadole and 5 draws in ten seasons between these two teams. All in J2 except for Sagan’s home win this season in J1.

Match Preview
What can we say about Consadole Sapporo – possibly the worst team that J1 has seen in it’s two decades of history? 22 goals scored all season, 79 conceded, a goal difference of -57. Can anyone see them winning this game? Famous last words, perhaps, but Sagan Tosu have impressed in their maiden season in J1 and have nothing to lose, no pressure on and most of us watching will expect them to walk this match with ease. That, of course is a dangerous attitude! After being confirmed as relegated Sapporo managed to beat Urawa Reds, away, and it looked as if they were suddenly relaxed, knowing their fate was decided. But that was it, they are back on the losing road now!

Sagan Tosu have a great defence, a strong home record and their supporters are really enjoying their first ever season in J1. There were rumours at the start of the season that their ace striker Toyoda would move to a “bigger” club and they must be grateful he didn’t, having scored 14 goals for his team so far this season. They will be hard-pressed to keep him if bigger clubs come calling, though, after he has proved he CAN do it in J1. If they can keep him, and continue their fine performances, confidence will grow even more and their players will surely believe that they do not need to move to gain success. The final three games are important for Sagan to show they are not in a fluke position. 2 or even 3 wins will top their season perfectly and they will not allow Sapporo to spoil this day. EXPECT a WIN for SAGAN TOSU!