J1 Catch-Up!
Matchday 28 – October 6th Results
Vegalta Sendai 2-1 Gamba Osaka
Urawa Reds 1-2 Consadole Sapporo
Yokohama F.Marinos 0-0 Hiroshima
Jubilo Iwata 0-1 Shimizu S-Pulse
Cerezo Osaka 3-2 Sagan Tosu
Kashima Antlers 5-1 FC Tokyo
Kashiwa Reysol 1-0 Kawasaki Frontale
Albirex Niigata 0-0 Vissel Kobe
Nagoya Grampus 0-0 Omiya Ardija
Going from top to bottom, Sanfrecce were held in a predictable scoreless draw with Marinos, allowing Vegalta to gain ground on the top spot as the Sendai team took three points from Gamba in a controversial match that saw Gamba “equalise”, but the officials deciding the ball had not gone over the line. Vegalta came out of that and doubled their lead, sealing the game, and the points. Gamba sit in 17th place, three points from safety, but the highest scorers in J1 (and the 2nd highest conceders!).
Meanwhile, Urawa Reds wasted the opportunity to move closer to the teams above them, as they went down to already-relegated Consadole Sapporo in a game they will want to forget!
In the Shizuoka Derby Shimizu S-Pulse came out victorious, and also moved above their neighbours, Jubilo, into 4th spot, with an eye on that ACL-qualifying top three place. S-Pulse also took out FC Tokyo 3-0 in the 2nd leg of the Nabisco Cup semi-final on October 13th, and booked a tie on November 3rd against Kashima Antlers, who were victorious over Kashiwa Reysol in the other semi-final. In league play, Kashiwa Reysol triumphed over Kawasaki Frontale on the only goal of the game, moving into 6th place on 42 points, although, it should be noted that the difference between Jubilo – in 5th place, also on 42 points – and 13th-placed Kashima Antlers is just five points!
Kashima Antlers reached 37 points courtesy of a 5-1 thrashing of FC Tokyo and they, along with Cerezo Osaka, on 38 points after a win over Sagan Tosu can not yet claim to be safe, but both teams are getting there. It is Vissel Kobe who have slipped into trouble after a bad run and they sit in 14th spot, just four points away from Albirex Niigata in the relegation spot of 16th. Those two teams fought out a scoreless draw last time out and now find themselves sandwiching Omiya Ardija – on 32 points, in 15th place, Ardija also getting a point from a scoreless draw in Matchday 28, against Nagoya Grampus.
You’ll find the full updated table for J1 (and J2), as always, at http://www.jsoccer.com/tables/
