https://youtu.be/E2JUmZU47ZM

FC Seoul v Sanfrecce Hiroshima

https://youtu.be/Jdx1H6XC2_o

Gamba Osaka 1-1 Melbourne Victory (Australia)

https://youtu.be/bA0SVNTv6Go

Pohang Steelers v Urawa Reds

https://youtu.be/I9_93EO2gVA

Matsumoto Yamaga were relegated last season. Here’s what they’ll be wearing in J2. Green home, white away, red and blue are the ‘keepers’ gear!

Graphic for Shimizu S-Pulse home shirt for their J2 season in 2016.

And S-Pulse neighbours Jubilo Iwata, who have switched places with them in J1 for 2016.

Vissel Kobe home and away, with a special close-up on their home shirt, too.

Kawasaki Frontale 2016 20th Anniversary “Gremio” shirt!

Kawasaki Frontale Home, away, “cup” shirts

V-Varen Nagasaki home (orange) and away

Yokohama F•Marinos home (blue), away (pink) and three cool GK shirts

Albirex Niigata home (orange) and away

Ventforet Kofu home (blue) and away

Kashiwa Reysol home (yellow) and blue GK shirt

Urawa Reds

Thespakusatsu Gunma home (blue away (white) and two GK shirts

FC Tokyo home / away authentic version

Nagoya Grampus home and away

Kashima Antlers home (red) and away

Fujieda MYFC home

Nara Club (JFL), home, away, GK

Montedio Yamagata away

Mito HollyHock home (blue) and away

Zweigen Kanazawa home

The only Japanese team with a fixed place in the 2016 AFC Champions League before the Emperor’s Cup victory – Sanfrecce Hiroshima – are in Group F with FC Seoul and Buriram United, plus a play-off winner to be determined.

With Gamba’s Emperor’s Cup victory over Urawa Reds the Osaka team slot into Group G of the 2016 AFC Champions League where they will face Melbourne Victory, Suwon Samsung Bluewings, and another from February’s playoffs.

Emperor’s Cup runners-up Urawa Red Diamonds, meanwhile, slip into Group H where they will meet reigning champions Guangzhou Evergrande, Sydney FC, and the winner of a Playoff that could well be (should be?) Pohang Steelers.

Meanwhile, a place in Group E is up for grabs by FC Tokyo – Japan’s fourth team in the competition – should they beat the winner of the clash between Chonburi and Yangon United in their playoff 2 on February 9th.

Group E

1. Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors (Korea)
2. Jiangsu Sainty (China)
3. Becamex Binh Duong (Vietnam)
4. Winner Playoff 2 (FC Tokyo?!)

Group F

1. Sanfrecce Hiroshima
2. FC Seoul (Korea)
3. Buriram United (Thailand)
4. Winner Playoff 3

Group G

1. Melbourne Victory (Australia)
2. Gamba Osaka
3. Suwon Samsung Bluewings (Korea)
4. Winner Playoff 4

Group H

1. Guangzhou Evergrande (China)
2. Sydney FC (Australia)
3. Urawa Reds
4. Winner Playoff East 1

Playoff Stage – East (February 9, 2016)

FC Tokyo v Winner of Chonburi  (Thailand) v Yangon United  (Myanmar)

In Part 1 (to 33:35) Sean recaps Hiroshima’s J1 title win and muses on the future of the two-stage and playoff formats, in Part 2 Bryan discusses Fukuoka’s J1 promotion playoff victory, and finally in Part 3 Dave reviews Machida’s second leg and aggregate win in the J2/J3 playout.

http://jtalkpodcast.blogspot.jp/2015/12/ep170.html

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
” title=”Vortis v Sanfrecce”>

FC Tokyo 2-0 Mito HollyHock
” title=”FC Tokyo v HollyHock”>

Sagan Tosu 4-3 Montedio Yamagata
” title=”Sagan v Montedio”>

What a day we had in J1 on Sunday. Goals, surprises, plenty of end to end stuff… and so, without further (Freddie?) Adu, let’s get on with it!

Shall we look at the games in order of excitement? That’s of course, in the eye of the beholder! For a fan who loves defensive contents a 0-0 draw, with plenty of goalkeeper action and parking of vehicles in goalmouths is exciting. That fan probably does not enjoy a 4-4 draw! But we’ll start with goals, goals, goals!!

Vegalta Sendai 4-4 Urawa Reds

Sitting atop J1, Urawa Reds travelled to Vegalta Sendai, conceded four goals to a team flirting with the relegation area, and still came back with a point!

21 year old Kim Min Tae opened the scoring early on in his debut game for Vegalta, with a smart shot across the keeper. When Muto (no, not THAT Muto) shot straight into the keeper’s arms in the 36th minute, wasting a chance for Reds to draw level, it was still “only” 1-0!

Abe eventually equalised for Reds with a speculative shot from distance after a corner was cleared. His shot took two deflections to beat new Samurai Blue (training camp) selectee Rokutan and the game went in 1-1 at half time. It is doubtful that any of the crowd knew what they were in for in the second period! Ten minutes after the break Koroki headed home at the far post after Abe half licked on a corner and the fun began!

Sekone reacted fastest to a save from a Tadanari Lee attempt and Reds went 3-1 up minutes later. Not long after this goal Vegalta were closing the gap to a single goal again with Okuno getting his first J1 goal! On the 65th minute Ugajin tried to clear a corner but only succeeded in flicking it on for the unmarked Watanabe to head home from close range, 3-3!

With just over ten minutes on the clock Ryang showed poise in the box and his feint nullified Moriwaki’s defensive lunge before he curled it past Nishikawa in the Reds goal for Vegalta to re-take the lead! The home crowd went nuts and the bench was in ecstasy! Not for long. What seemed like seconds later, Koroki scored his second, mis-kicking hit past the keeper after Muto had beaten his defender by mis-controlling the ball as he tried to pull it back! They all count, though, and the match ended in a 4-4 goalfest!

FC Tokyo 0-1 Kashima Antlers

42,000 fans gathered in Ajinomoto Stadium for this one as a resurgent Kashima Antlers brought thousands of fans to take on FC Tokyo, riding high on the crest of a Muto (yes, THAT Muto)-inspired wave.

The match was eventually evicted on Shoma Doi’s lone 34th minute strike after he capitalized on a half-cleared attack and turned to shoot as defenders ball-watched (as our defense-loving fan might say. His shot was weak but it caught Shuichi Gonda in the home goal unawares and crept in at the post as the despairing keeper dived in vain.

Chances for either team were few and far between with Keigo Higashi shooting straight at the Antlers keeper in he 54th minute and Takasaki doing the same for the away team later in the half. ??? Morishige then hit the bar with a header from corner in the 75th minute, before Gaku Shibasaki shot against the woodwork at the other end moments later, but FC Tokyo went down as Antlers continue their rise.

Sagan Tosu 1-1 Matsumoto Yamaga

Obi a had the ball in the net from a poised header in the 16th minute but was called offside, then the same player hit the bar – a header from a corner – from a yard out minutes later. Sagan had the chance to take a lead n at the break just before the half time whistle but Naoyuki Fujita slipped the ball over the keeper, but also over the bar from close range after controlling a. difficult pass well.

Yamaga finally broke the deadlock in the 64th minute through Yuki Okubo’s stooping close range header after a Hayuma Tanaka cross had been knocked on by Iida. The first j1 goal for Okubo.

It was an 18-year-old – Kamada, scoring his first professional goal – who salvaged a point for the home team as the game entered additional time. The youngster volleyed home a clearance from 25 yards out, although his shot bounced twice before it went in, somehow eluding all of the defenders and wrong-footing the keeper.

Sanfrecce Hiroshima 0-1 Gamba Osaka

With both sides challenging for the top spot in what is beginning to look like a four horse race for the 1st Stage, this could well have been a six-pointer, and the spoils went to injury-riddled Gamba Osaka on a lone Lins goal. With Koki Yonekura and Oh Jae Suk out at right back, and Nishino unavailable at centre back, Daiki Niwa was drafted in at right back, with Kim Jungya in at centre back.

Sanfrecce began the match with Kosei Shibasaki glancing a cross onto the bar within the first minute, although Gamba keeper Masaaki Higashiguchi had it covered. The Gamba keeper then tipped a Notsuda strike away and followed that by denying Shimizu as his near post.

Just before the break Higashiguchi was in action again as Aoyama got on the end of a bouncing ball to shoot from distance. Gamba began the second period well and Kotaro Omori shot over, after being fed by Takashi Usami, as he advanced into the area.

Gamba finally took the lead through Lins, who headed home Keisuke Iwashita’s volleyed cross after an Endo free kick was only headed into the path of the Gamba centre back by a defender. Hiroki Fujiharu then hit a post as Gamba looked to settle the match. Omori was denied by the strong hand of Hayashi in the home goal as he looked ready to add a goal in additional time! but that Lins strike was enough for Gamba to head home with maximum points.

Nagoya Grampus 0-1 Kawasaki Frontale

With Tanaka suspended, and Honda, Taguchi and Danilson added to the long-term injury of Leandro Domingues, Grampus manager Akira Nishino was rounding up bodies for this one! On the other hand Frontale were missing the not un-influential duo of Yu Kobayashi and Kengo Nakamura to injuries… fair enough, then!

Highlight of the match COULD have been Yoshito Okubo’s shot from his own half after breaking down a Nagoya attack and seeing Seigo Narazaki off his line as he advanced to the half way mark! Okubo’s shot was wide, but well worth a go! As the half came to a close center forward Kengo Kawamata crossed from the left wing for centre half Tulio to head just wide. Total football!?

Just as it looked to be going in scoreless at the break, Okubo finished from close range after Elsinho blasted in a low cross and Frontale took the lead. Within a minute of the restart both Okubo and Renato had slipped shots just past the post as they looked to add to their team’s lead.

Neither team really troubled the opposing goalkeeper in the second half! Okubo’s shot the 78th minute – after a four on three break by Frontale – was deflected, but Narazaki held on to the second attempt after palming it out from under the bar, and the game ended with just the Okubo goal separating the teams.

Yokohama F•Marinos 1-0 Albirex Niigata

With F•Marinos missing players all over the park – Kurihara from defence, Nakamura from, well, everywhere, and Ito and Rafinha up front were the listed injuries today – the team will be happy with the grinding out of three points here against Albirex Niigata. Albirex themselves, meanwhile, were missing their new goalscorer Rafael Silva and had been struggling for goals, especially without him on the field. Was a 1-0 scoreline ever in doubt?

For Yokohama, Tomisawa hit the bar with a Van Basten-esque volley from a right angle in the 6th minute, while Leo Silva did the same for Niigata with a 25-yarder in the 20th minute. The woodwork got a battering in the second period too, as Yamada hit the post nine minutes into the half before Mikado finally broke the deadlock, converting a Nakamachi pass to the right channel. 1-0, and that’s how it stayed.

Vissel Kobe 1-2 Shimizu S-Pulse

Kazuma Watanabe earned himself a yellow card after less than 15 seconds, then Kaito Yamamoto mis-kicked a clearance moments later as Vissel Kobe began this game nervously, but it was Shimizu S-Pulse who ended the game with the jitters – with a red card and a free kick that almost leveled the game – but it was the away team who took three very vital points in the end.

Yet more injuries had added to manager Nelsinho’s selection problems for this visit of relegation-threatened Shimizu, with Takahito Soma yet another casualty in the wide player department. Shuffling his pack, Nelsinho put Shohei Takahashi on the left wing, while Shunki Takahashi was preferred over Ryo Okui on the right.

It was Australian import Mitchell Duke who opened the scoring for S-Pulse in the 14th minute, taking a touch to set himself up for a right foot shot from the corner of the area.

Vissel were back in the game in the 29th minute when Shunki Takahashi broke down the right and fed Watanabe. The former FC Tokyo striker advanced into the area and shot low and hard. Rikiihiro Sugiyama in the away goal got down to save but the ball was inadvertently bundled home by Mitsunari Musaka as he tried to clear it.

Moments after the goal Daisuke Ishizu saw his shot drift last a post with the keeper unsighted as Vissel started to stamp their authority on their home game but it remained 1-1 at the break.

Okui replaced Takahiro Masukawa as the teams came out for the second period, with Shohei Takahashi dropping into the three back formation and the substitute taking the left wing back position. Okui soon began to make his mark on the game, getting involved in a few moves down the left in the opening exchanges, although it was a move from the right in the 57th minute that saw Keijiro Ogawa shoot across the goalkeeper and inches past the post. Two minutes later it was Yamamoto to the rescue at the other end of the field, after Shohei Takahashi was robbed of possession deep in his own half and the ball was slipped to Peter Utaka who saw his shot saved well by the Vissel keeper.

S-Pulse went ahead for good in the match when Omae was adjudged to have been fouled by Shohei Takahashi. The sneaky number 10 then moved the ball back a few yards to get the distance to help get the ball over the wall. And get the ball over the wall he did, his curling shot leaving Yamamoto helpless and giving his team the lead with 20 minutes to go.

Ogawa could then have had the equaliser with six minutes to go, as he got on he end of an excellent Ishizu cross from the left wing, but the diminutive striker failed to connect properly from point blank range and the ball dropped past the post. As time ran out Jakovic saw his second yellow for kicking the ball away after the whistle for a foul and, from that free kick Watanabe’s fine effort was clawed out by the keeper, with Ogawa following up but getting under his header from close range. The ball went over the bar and the final whistle sounded seconds later.

A vital win was greeted with elation and relief by the S-Pulse squad, and the fans and afterwards goalscorer Duke noted that he was very happy to get his goal, but it was the win that mattered.

Kashiwa Reysol 0-3 Montedio Yamagata

Both keepers were called into action, and had not been found wanting, before Romero Franck opened the scoring for Montedio with a strike from the edge of the area meeting an Ishikawa corner with a nice half volley through the crowd.

It was the Montedio keeper to the rescue again in the 28th minute, touching a low Leandro shot onto a post. Diego doubled the away team’s lead before half time as Reysol went in shell-shocked at the break. It was to get worse for the team in yellow as Diego – of all people – scored his second and Yamagata’s third with 16 minutes to left as Montedio pulled off the shock of the day.

Ventforet Kofu 0-1 Shonan Bellmare

Returning legend Bare was on the bench for Ventforet Kofu as they looked to find the solution to their goalscoring problems. This game showed why the Brazilian target man was needed. Morita and Adriano never looked like scoring while Shonan Bellmare managed to beat Kota Ogi in the home goal with a bullet of a strike by Otsuka in the 50th minute to take home three points.

Bare made a late appearance and almost grabbed a point for the home team with a near post header from a corner that forced a fine save, but he was not to be the hero on this particular day.

And so, these results see Urawa Reds on top of J1 with 24 points, over FC Tokyo a point behind them and Gamba Osaka a further point behind – 22 points – in third position. Sanfrecce are level with Gamba in fourth place on goal difference. The chasing pack are led by Frontale and F•Marinos, both five points behind Sanfrecce. Reds and Gamba have a. game in hand due to their ACL commitments.

With 11 games gone in the first stage – not that stages matter at the bottom, it’s a combined table for relegation – Ventforet are anchored to the bottom on six points, while wins for S-Pulse (10 points, 16th place) and Montedio (12 points, 13th place) have given them some breathing space. Albirex drop to second-from-bottom on ten points, while Vegalta’s hard-earned point against Reds sees them also on ten points, in 15th spot.

 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

The biggest transfer news of the new campaign is possibly that Tsukasa Shiotani is still with the club and, with Hiroki Mizumoto, Kazuhiko Chiba will look to keep it “tight at the back”. With the aging – and rarely seeing-a-full-90-minutes – Hisato Sato as the main fulcrum up front, accompanied by (dare I say it, or perhaps give it inverted commas?) “Japan international” Yusuke Minagawa looking for goals, Sanfrecce are looking short up front. Tokushima Vortis have sent over Douglas, but there’ll need to be a huge improvement from him to make Sanfrecce a top team.
In midfield, Kyoto Sanga have been raided and Kohei Kudo has joined the team, but the squad is definitely looking a little shallow. Toshihiro Aoyama, Shiotani and Sato may feel the pressure of keeping this team on course… manager Hajime Moriyasu is a tactical genius in this writer’s opinion, and Sanfrecce will in no way be struggling in the relegation zone (famous last words?), but anything better than a mid-table finish may be a stretch.

Web site – www.sanfrecce.co.jp

Sanfrecce Hiroshima 2015 shirts!

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