J1 threw up SIX away wins on Saturday June 16th, with three home wins and no draws as some lower teams picked up points and some teams from the upper reaches, struggled.
Vegalta Sendai 4-1 Consadole Sapporo
Vegalta Sendai stayed clear at the top of the division with a 4-1 win over hapless Consadole Sapporo, with two goals from veteran Yanagisawa, one from Wilson – his 6th of the season – and a superb header from Nakahara – his first of the season, rounding off the home team scoring. Consadole could only get on the scoresheet from an own goal!
Kashima Antlers 2-3 Nagoya Grampus
Kashima Antlers hosted an inconsistent Nagoya Grampus, with Nagai getting a start in place of the injured Tamada, and it was Nagai that was instrumental in ensuring that Nagoya took all three points. Antlers opened the scoring through Koroki’s 7th of the season, before the Nagai Show began – his first, the equaliser, was a right foot blast. He then set up Kanazaki on a plate for the 2nd before Motoyama made it 2-2 as Antlers got back into the game. But Nagai scored again with 86 minutes on the clock with a superb shot across the keeper and into the corner to make the final score Kashima Antlers 2-3 Nagoya Grampus.
Omiya Ardija has themselves a new manager in Verdenijk?? and a new formation of 4-4-2 with Cho pushed up front. While Carlinhos gave the home team hope with the opener on 9 minutes, Reysol were soon level through an exquisite first time volley lob from Leandro Domingues and then a right foot curler from Jorge Wagner. Junya Tanaka increased the lead before half time and Kudo added to it just after the break, and the rout looked on. But then Omiya tightened up and really had enough chances to even win the game, but could only manage to pull it back to a final score of 4-2, through a scrambled goal from Cho.
Albirex Niigata 1-0 Shimizu S-Pulse
Seiya Fujita got the only goal of the match with their first goal attempt in the closing stage of the 1st half after S-Pulse had rained in the shots! S-Pulse were frustrated by Niigata, who gained a long-awaited win in the first match for new manager Yanagishita. Of note – both of Niigata’s Brazilians were yellow carded for simulation in the 2nd half!
Jubilo Iwata 1-3 Vissel Kobe
Jubilo had won three in-a-row going in to this game while Vissel Kobe were yet to register a win for new coach Akira Nishino. A shock, certainly for the home fans, was in store as 19 year old Keijiro Ogawa hit a hat trick of supreme confidence for Vissel to take the points!!
Match ball and hero interview for Keijiro Ogawa! The revival, and the march to the ACL begins here!
Cerezo Osaka 1-4 Sanfrecce Hiroshima
The fans turned up in torrential rain to get the chance to see their hero Kiyotake before he leaves for the London Olympics and then the Bundesliga. Bo Kyung Kim will also be on his way to England, if my sources are correct, by the way! The home fans were disappointed… Sanfrecce took apart Cerezo, and showed why they are challenging for the top of J1.
Takahagi scored his 2nd of the season to start the scoring for Sanfrecce. Kakitani will claim the equaliser although it took a wicked deflection. 1-1 at the break, but a goal from Sato, and two for Ishihara won the game for Sanfrecce. To emphasise the domination by the away team, Sato also had a goal chalked off for offside and missed a PK!
Gamba Osaka 1-2 Urawa Reds
By the time Umesaki won the game for Urawa Reds in the final moments of added time, Gamba could well have been six goals ahead and must surely learn from this result that they must take their chances. As with the loss against Sagan Tosu, Gamba dominated possession, and racked up goal attempts and corners but live to regret another wasted three points.
Sagan Tosu 0-1 Kawasaki Frontale
Sagan lost their unbeaten home record to a single goal on a header from Tasaka with ten minutes to play. Tosu had their chances but the points went to Frontale.
Yokohama F. Marinos 1-0 FC Tokyo
Yuji Ono had a nice flick into net ruled out – wrongly it turned out – for offside before Hyodo scored the only goal of the game just after the half hour mark. Hyodo almost had enough before half time but was foiled by the outstretched foot of keeper Gonda, while the FC Tokyo keeper also kept out a wicked Shunsuke Nakamura free kick to keep the score to 1-0 and give the win to Marinos.