Consadole Sapporo 0-5 Omiya Ardija
Omiya Ardija surprised no-one by winning at Consadole, even the five goals probably didn’t surprise too many. Consadole will be officially, mathematically in J2 within two games unless they can win a few… but it will just be delaying the inevitable. Is that what Omiya are doing – they won, yes. But so did Cerezo and Gamba…. so no real changes at the bottom! Omiya got the goals from Novakovic (3), Carlinho and Yu Hasegawa.

Kashima Antlers 1-2 Yokohama F.Marinos
Marinos halted their slump with an away win at perennial (but not very good this year) rivals Antlers on goals from Andrew Kumagai and Shunsuke Nakamura. Antlers 95th minute consolation was a way offside tap in from Juninho!

Vegalta Sendai 2-1 Vissel Kobe
Vissel opened the scoring on a pinpoint header from Tashiro early in the game but Vegalta eventually came back into the game through another great header from Akamine. A spectacular, but dangerous, scissor kick from Kamata in injury time won it for Sendai but I’d like to see the referees be a bit stronger and give a free kick for dangerous play, rather than think, wow, what a great goal. Take a look at the highlights elsewhere on jsoccer.com and tell me, would you have stuck your head in there? Inoha certainly didn’t risk it! Highlights elsewhere at jsoccer.com

Urawa Reds 0-5 Gamba Osaka
Gamba Osaka saw the return of Leandro, and the return of goals and winning ways. The relegation-threatened team became J1’s highest scorers (although also J1’s 2nd-worst defence!) with this easy five goal away thrashing of Urawa Reds – putting a huge dent in the Saitama team’s title hopes. Abe opened the scoring in front of over 46,000 fans – about 95% being Reds supporters – with a left foot shot through a forest of legs, Leandro scored a couple of beauties before being replaced by Paulinho late on. The substitute added a couple more late goals but Gamba could have had a few more with better finishing. A huge step toward staying in J1, but with Omiya and Cerezo winning, the pressure is on Albirex now – as well as struggling Antlers and Vissel, perhaps! Highlights elsewhere at jsoccer.com

Jubilo Iwata 0-0 Albirex Niigata
Jubilo looking for a win to stay in the title race. Albirex looking for three points to stay in J1. Stalemate, but an entertaining game, we hear!

Cerezo Osaka 3-2 Shimizu S-Pulse
S-Pulse went ahead, Brosque being upended for a PK which Omae converted. Kempes got the equaliser, and Kakitani got the go-ahead goal in added time of the first half, slotting home a rebound off the keeper. Alex Brosque scored a nice free kick to bring the game level on 70 minutes and then it was Simplicio’s turn to get the winner with a couple of minutes to go. A very important three points for Cerezo, and the end of S-Pulse’s faint hopes of ending in a top 3 place? Highlights elsewhere at jsoccer.com

FC Tokyo 1-2 Kawasaki Frontale
Almost 35,000 fans at Ajinomoto Stadium saw Frontale go two goals up through goals from Kusukami and Jeci in the first ten minutes of the 2nd half. Edmilson, a 75th minute substitute, gave FC Tokyo faint hope with a goal in the 88th minute, but it was too late and Frontale probably made their season safe, if not a little disappointing!

Nagoya Grampus 1-2 Sanfrecce Hiroshima
Sanfrecce Hiroshima took the lead on a superb solo run ans shot from Shimizu five minutes before the break. In some nice symmetry, Tulio equalised five minutes after the break and it was stalemate until deep into injury time when Moriwaki came storming up the filed from his own half to get on the end of a far post cross and send the ball looping back over Narzaki, to creep in under the bar to give Sanfrecce the three points and keep them in the top spot, by two points from Vegalta Sendai, who had also scored a VERY late winner. Highlights elsewhere at jsoccer.com

Sagan Tosu 3-1 Kashiwa Reysol
Defeat at Sagan Tosu leaves Kashiwa Reysol 11 points off the lead and six points out of the ACL places, and also allows Sagan to leapfrog them into 5th place. Sagan are this year’s Reysol? In their furst season in the top flight Sagan have won many friends and surprised many pundits with their results and J1 2013 will be interesting for them! One season wonders, or consolidating and improving? The home team scored three goals between the 43rd and 53rd minutes before Leandro Domingues got one back in the 65th to rekindle some faint hope for Reysol, but no, not today!