Vegalta Sendai 1-0 Kashima Antlers
Sendai rode the wave of emotion one year after the devastating earthquake and tsunami of March 2011 to a one goal home win over a hapless Kashima. Osako tested Sendai keeper Hayashi from an Ogasawara free kick but it was 0-0 at half time, Sendai taking their lead from a deep corner headed back across goal, by Akamine, for Uemoto to score on his Sendai debut, heading home the returned corner to give the home team the points.
Antlers almost got back into it when a super glancing header by Juninho was kept out by the outstretched leg of Hayashi but it was Sendai’s day.
Consadole Sapporo 0-0 Jubilo Iwata
It took until the 2nd half for this game to wake up when Jubilo, and in particular, Komano caused problems for the home team defense, but spurned the few chances they had. Injury time saw a PK turned down for Consadole and a Komano cross to Maeda headed straight at the keeper – there was never going to be a goal in this game!!
Gamba Osaka 2-3 Vissel Kobe
Could Vissel be this year’s Gamba Osaka? Scoring plenty of goals but conceding them in shedloads? Vissel scored three, and coud have had more, while Gamba scored two goals on snapshots from Paulinho and Rafinha, while looking dire for the rest of the game. Vissel opened the scoring in the 17th minute when a Soma cross from the left fell to Nozawa at the far post. He miscontrolled, almost fell over, and finally managed to get in a weak shot which found the net via Okubo’s shin. Right place right time!
Gamba equalized in the 34th minuteout of nothing when Paulinho s given a little space 25 yards out and hit a blistering left foot drive into the far corner.
On the hour mark, a Nozawa corner was headed on by Kitamoto and Ashimoto bundled it home for a goal against his old club. With 14 minutes to go Vissel sealed it with the 3rd goal, a Nozawa free kick was headed goalward, Fujigaya making the point blank save, but the ball went straight to the head of right place, right time Okubo and h the keeper could do nothing about the follow-up header and Okubo went t the top of the scoring charts on the first day of the season.
Rafinha pulled a goal back in injur time and Gamba suddenly woke up and piled on pressure for a final minute as the crowd noise level rose in hope, but Vissel held on for the points.
“We scored two goals from set plays last season”, said Vissel coach Wada, “we equalled that already this season.”
With Nozawa in charge, there will be more!
Sanfrecce Hiroshima 1-0 Urawa Reds
Hisato Sato broke the deadlock with the only goal of this game in the 49th minute. Reds entered the game with a 3-2-2-2-1 formation, utilizing Abe as the central lynchpin of a back three. Kashiwagi and Suzuki were employed as defensive midfielders., Reds coach Petrovic using a similar system with Sanfrecce in the preceding seasons. Petrovic and Makino were returning “home” today, but they did not find the welcome they would have liked!
The deciding goal came after Reds keeper Kato had kept the Sanfrecce striker out earlier and denied Ishihara from a Mikic cross this time, too, but the ball fell for Sato to strike home from yards out and Sanfrecce took the points, despite Makino almost stealing an equalizer with an injury time header.
Omiya Ardija 0-1 FC Tokyo
Omiya were all over the game, with Cho Yeong Cheol, in paricular, creating time and space often, but Omiya spurned chances, or, rather, Gonda in the FC Tokyo goal denied the home team – regularly! Nozawa should have done better with FC Tokyo’s only real chance of the half but the game went in 0-0 at the break. Rafael was denied again by Gonda early in the 2nd half before Lucas scored his classic just after the hour. The goal was a perfect execution of a set-up with the first touch and a controlled shot with the 2nd. If Thierry Henry or Dennis Bergkamp had scored this goal it would be all over YouTube and world TV within hours! A classic goal, from a classy player that deserved the three points all on it’s own.
Kawasaki Frontale 1-0 Albirex Niigata
Two teams tipped to struggle this season fought out an early relegation battle! Renato’s 10th minute inswinging free kick beat almost everyone, flying into the far corner of the net from the top of Saneto’s head for Frontale to take the lead. Renato came close with another free kick saved low and to the right of the keeper in the 2nd half and Komatsu hit the bar before Niigata almost got back in the game with a late goalmouth scramble, but the home team held on for their first win of what will be a long campaign.
Sagan Tosu 0-0 Cerezo Osaka
Sagan gained their first point, if not their first goal in the top flight of Japanese football, holding off Cerezo Osaka for the home draw. Kiyotake had the ball in the net off a super control and finish in the 22nd minute, but was called offside. Tosu’s Ikeda forced a near post save from the Cerezo keeper in the 65th minute, while Kim hit the crossbar from a free kick for the away team. Cerezo almost took the points in added time but Akahoshi in the Sagan goal pulled off a super save to ensure that first J1 point for again Tosu.
Nagoya Grampus 1-0 Shimizu S-Pulse
Goalkeepers Narazaki (Nagoya) and Hayashi (S-Pulse) frustrated strikers on the few chances that this game threw up, the only goal coming from a debatable penalty kick dispatched by Josh Kennedy – no change there!
Kashiwa Reysol v. Yokohama F. Marinos, Sunday March 10th.