JEF took 3 very important points when they beat Verdy 2-0 at home this round, which narrows the gap up to safe place to only 6 points. With JEF being one of the form teams in the league, taking 11 points in their last 6 matches, it’s by no means impossible that we will see them climb a few places in the following rounds.
Verdy gave them a hard fight though, and came to several chances.Especially in the first half, where Verdy had most of the possession and looked lively up front. JEF withstood it though, and by half-time the score were still 0-0. Just 2 minutes into the 2nd half came JEF’s first goal, when Maki headed home a beautiful cross from substitute Kohei Kudo.
JEF took more over after this, and it didn’t take long before they were 2-0 up. Maki were fouled inside the box, and Masaki Fukai had few problems converting the PK. This was Fukai’s first ever match for JEF actually, following his move from Kashima Antlers. Both teams ”owned” one half each, and with JEF being the more effective among them they could celebrate as winners in the end. JEF had 10 shots to Verdy’s 18.
R: Alex 71’
Two teams in very poor form met here, but on the field the home team were quick to take charge. Albirex looked dangerous already from the start, and came close on several occasion in the opening minutes, including a shot that hit the bar. Alessandro gave them the lead in the 14th minute however, after a splendid counter-attack. That seemed to be Niigata’s recipe for this match, and Reysol struggled to cope with it. Niigata’s 2nd goal also came from a counter, in which Yano beautifully rounded off by beating a man and cooly place the ball in the goal. Niigata’s lead should have been bigger though, and the aforementioned Yano blew several huge chances. Alex reduced for Reysol through a set-piece, but Reysol overall looked quite poor this match, and Niigata’s win were fully deserved. They outshot Reysol 16-8.
Gamba has been a big disappointment this season, and are all the way down in 8th place on the table. Therefore league-leaders found themselves being favorites here, and an early goal from Ogawa secured the win for the visitors. A nice attack down the right-flank resulted in Magnum finding Ogawa with a looping cross, and the talented winger headed home the opening goal after only 10 minutes. After the goal, Nagoya fell back, and defended their lead well. Gamba struggled to break through, and all in all the match had few chances. A few shots from distance from Gamba were the closest they came really, but with Narazaki being in good form it didn’t really caused too much trouble. Nagoya didn’t created much either, but Magnum were a threat throughout the match and did create some dangerous situtations. An impressive win for Nagoya, who extended their lead at the top of the table to 3 points. Gamba had 10 shots to Nagoya’s 6.
Kyoto must find themselves fortunate to beat Jubilo this match, as the visitors were by far the best team. Effective finishing and a bit of luck secured all points for the home team though, a result that takes them as high as 7th above a strong team like Gamba. Jubilo on the other hand, can only blame themselves for their misfortunes, and now they look in real danger of facing relegation. Yanagisawa seems to have been re-juvenated in Kyoto, and he’s playing the best football of his career currently. He gave Kyoto the lead after only 4 minutes, when he flicked a cross through the goalkeeper’s legs to make it 1-0. Jubilo tried their best to get back in the game, but their attackers clearly didn’t have the best of days, with their finishing ending up everywhere. Jubilo even missed a penalty-kick, so there were more than enough chances for them to score. Sidiclei is another player that has found his feet in Kyoto, and the bald defender headed home the 2-0 goal in the 76th minute to calm down Kyoto’s fans. In the end a somewhat undeserved win, as Jubilo outshot Kyoto 13-6.
KF: Taniguchi 75’
Antlers vs Frontale were 1 of 3 top meetings this round, and with the game ending a draw things are still wide open at the top. It was an entertaining match, were the home team looked the most lively. Especially in the first half, when the wingbacks Uchida and Araiba over and over again came surging down the flanks causing trouble for Frontale. But it didn’t result in any goals, and by half-time the teams were still deadlocked. The play shifted from side to side in the 2nd half, and it was Antlers who broke the deadlock through topscorer Marquinhos after he was neatly played free by his compatriot Danilo. But just minutes later equalized Frontale’s Taniguchi following a corner kick. Near the end Frontale had a couple of big chances to win the game, but Sogahata in the Antlers goal miraculously saved the efforts. Antlers had 14 shots to Frontale’s 12, and all in all a draw is a fair result.
O: Lavric 14’
Omiya can thank goalkeeper Ezumi for not losing by a bigger margin here, as he played like a living wall for most of the match. He kept Omiya in the game up until the 65th minute, when he had to succumb to a Akamine shot. Before that he denied Cabore twice, as well as coming up with a stunning triple-save. Lavric gave the visitors an early lead with a nice header, and soon after started the pressure from Tokyo. Cabore came close on several occasions, including 2 shots that went via the bar and out.Omiya’s lead lasted until the 65th minute, when Akamine scored from short range. A beautifully taken free-kick from Otake a few minutes later put Tokyo up in the lead. Near the end, when Omiya threw eeryone forward trying to get the equalizer, came Tokyo on a counter 3 against 1. Akamine finished off the attack with his 2nd goal of the evening. Actually Omiya outshot Tokyo 15-14, but in the end Tokyo were well-deserved winners.
V: Okubo 45’
Marinos and Kobe shared the spoils with a goal each when they met at Nissan Stadium this round. That’s a result neither of the teams will be particularly happy about, as it’s just a few points down to the relegation side for either side. It’s worst for Marinos though, who are just 1 point ahead of 16th placed Jubilo.
Marinos got off to a good start, and put Kobe under heavy pressure early on. They didn’t find the net though,and instead Kobe’s prolific striker Okubo gave the visitors the lead just before the break. Okubo reacted quickest on a spill ball after a free-kick hit the bar, and hammered it home to make it 1-0. Marinos chased the equalizer for the entire 2nd half, and they had to wait until injury-time for it to come. Leandro headed the ball into his own net after being pressured by Hyodo, which were the last of action we saw in this game. Marinos outshot Kobe 14-7.
C: Nishi 90’
Shimizu moved well clear of the relegation zone with a well-deserved 3-1 win over Consadole this round. The visitors never really looked like getting anything from this match, and the home team were overall the best team. They struggled a bit with the finishing though, as in earlier matches, but just before the break managed Edamura to break the deadlock with a close-range finish after a cross from the left-hand side. Edamura has been Shimizu’s best player lately, and once again did he show how important he is to the team. Okazaki scored the 2nd one in the 63rd minute when he reacted to a rebound from Consadole’s GK following a shot from distance. An importan for goal Okazaki, who once again struggled with poor efficiency. He’s already a fan favourite for all his hard work, but he still has alot to improve on his finishing. Veteran-striker Nishizawa added a 3rd with header from close ranger in the 80th minute before Nishi scored a consolation goal in injury-time. Consadole only had a handful of chances the whole match, and seem destined for J2 next season already. Shimizu outshot Consadole 18-3.
Urawa and Oita shared the spoils in a closely contested battle this round. It was a match between two of the top 4 placed teams, and neither of them looked willing to take any chances. Oita came out in their usual defensive strategy, which made it difficult for Urawa’s attackers to find a way through. Some of the Urawa-players looked to grow impatient cause of this, and especially the playmaker Robson Ponte looked out of it. Ponte was later substituted for Nobuhisa Yamada, to which the brazilian responded with rage and anger. Surely he wasn’t happy about being replaced, and coach Engels will probably give him a reprimand.
Oita have been the surprise package this season, and although they werenæt as star-studded as their counterparts they were fully on level with them. In fact, Oita had the biggest chances, and both Yasuhito Morishima and Ueslei hit the post. Urawa’s best efforts came through the wingers Soma and Hirakawa, but in the end they should find themselves lucky to escape with a point. Urawa had 10 shots to Oita’s 9.
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