Hashimoto earns the points for Gamba with his 2nd goal in two games!

Gamba wrap up the derby, English referee adds more controversy! (No, not me!).

http://japanleaguesoccer.podbean.com/Vissel win six-pointer with ease … Joe ups the Podcast for all!

Gamba deservedly take the points and unveil a new hero in Lee, while welcoming Endo back to the fold and giving Usami and Hirai more time and confidence!! The future is bright(er)!?

Kawasaki held on for an hour before falling to Kahima away, 2-1, Inamoto being sent off for a 2nd yellow card very early on.Yamagata 3-1 Sendai, Niigata 1-1 Cerezo … Marcio Richardes for Albirex, Adriano for Osaka.Tomorrow’s big game – Gamba Osaka vs. Urawa Reds … not too far off to say, if Gamba lose this one, their season is over?! Still the future is bright, if Usami, Hirai, Otsuka and the rest of the youngsters are allowed time on the field this season.

Imagine your young full back has made the breakthrough to the national team … has a good season and next thing you know he’s off to another country. In England, germany, Spain, or anywhere else the player would be on the next plane out, and maybe do a couple of interviews from his new destination to try and justify his move, his dream, etc. In Japan, the players fly back to Japan and say goodbye to the fans – in tears – at the end of a game. They do a lap of honour, a speech – in tears – throw their boots, shirt and whatever else they have handy, into the crowd and even get chanted at by the opposition fans. Good luck to them and long may this continue in Japan! In England, for sure, the player would be roundly condemned for leaving his team, called a money-grabber and worse, and forgotten in no time. When he returns, if he returns, to play against his old team, he will be booed for 90 minutes …. sometimes you’ve gotta love Japan! FC Tokyo will love Nagatomo forever, many of them will start watching Serie A games and he will be welcomed back with open arms any time. On the other hand, if he comes back and joins Verdy, THEN he’ll get it, big time!!

J.League is back with a vengeance … heart attack city in Tokyo for Vissel fans tonight, as Kobe went 2-0 down early with some terrible defending only to come back to 2-2 with a last kick of the game PK from Yoshito Okubo. Morishige handled the ball totally unnecessarily, after some severe Vissel pressure almost had the equaliser before the PK. Vissle coach Miura took off Miyamoto from the centre of defence at half time, moving Kitamoto – who had been playing right back – into his favoured position to replace Miyamoto. Ishibitsu came on at right back, Gakuto Kondo at left back, and Vissel went for the points. So a final, super-cool side-footed PK, but not a lot for Vissel to brag about. J2 still beckons without huge improvement. The only way Vissel are not going down is if there are teams worse than them!Elsewhere in J1, Nagoya took out Omiya 1-0 away with a late goal from Kennedy (with rumours he is off to Qatar soon); Jubilo and Shimizu fought out a 0-0 draw in the Shizuoka derby; three games kicked off a little later, results coming soon!

Kawasaki Frontale missed a chance to move up in the table – held to a scoreless draw at home by cellar-dweller Omiya Ardija as J.League action got under way again after the World Cup finals, with the four teams who had their games postponed to allow them to play in the ACL – Frontale, Sanfrecce, Gamba and Antlers.Kurotsu wasted a couple of chances and both sides struggled to put moves together. Kawasaki keeper Takashi Aizawa, in for the Belgium-bound Kawashima, dived to save Aoki’s close-range blast saving with his face. Kurotsu missed a sitter with five minutes to go, leaving the Frontale faithful wondering who was going to replace Chong Tese – off to Germany this week.At Expo Stadium, it was a similar story, with Gamba Osaka and Kyoto Sanga playing out an uneventful 1-1 draw in the rain. It was another game of few chances – Gamba played their possession football but did not have the killer instinct. Indeed, their only goal came as Hirai punished a mistake from Masushima as he slipped trying to clear. While Kyoto’s goal – Kakuda, from 20 yards out – came from a deflected clearance from Yasuda falling to him on the edge. While his shot was low and true, it went through a forest of legs and COULD have gone anywhere. But it went where it matters, 1-1! Moments before, in the 60th minute, jsoccer.com favourite Miyayoshi slipped a long free kick from Diego against the post, but that was about all the excitement for this game.Cerezo Osaka destroyed Sanfrecce Hiroshima 5-0 in Hiroshima. Ienaga opened the scoring with his first goal for the club with a beautiful solo run finished with a low grass-cutter in at the far post with the keeper stretching in vain. Sanfrecce had lost Takahagi to a 2nd yellow card just before half time and they soon crumbled under the man-short pressure, giving up four more goals in the space of 10 minutes late on, with Brazilian midfielder Amaral blasting in a 3rd after an own-goal. Takahashi and Bando finished off the scoring.The J.League is back with a full programme this weekend.In the night’s other game, Kashima Antlers moved into second place with a 1-0 home win over Shonan Bellmare, courtesy of a 9th-minute strike by Takuya Nozawa, to keep the visitors firmly rooted to the bottom of the table.

Japan goalkeeper, Eiji Kawashima, is on his way to Belgian club K. Lierse SK.After playing for the Japanese National Team at the World-Cup, he returned to Japan where he finalized the last details of his transfer with his current club, Kawasaki Frontale.Kawashima will arrive in Belgium on Tuesday evening, landing at 18.35 at Brussels Airport in Zaventem together with a few Japanese camera crews.Tuesday and Wednesday, Kawashima will be finalizing the last details of his contract with the board of K. Lierse SK.The contract will be officially signed on Wednesday 7th of July at 14h30.Press info: info@lierse.com

As I write it’s almost Auf Wiedersehen Germany, Adios Spain, and most definitely Au Revoir France … the big guns are falling and Argentina look the best/ Germany were two different teams in two games … Holland and England yet to play their 2nd games, so judgment reserved. Brazil didn’t look that convincing, Italy, not at all … it’s a fun time in South Africa…. J.League Div. 1 returns in thee more weeks!