Another midweek and another exhausting round of ACL matches for the four entrants from the J-League over Tuesday and Wednesday evenings. Kashima Antlers continued their superb start to the competition and indeed to the season as a whole by confirming their place in the knockout phase with a 3-1 Group F win in Indonesia against Persipura Jayapura. Looking set to join them are Gamba Osaka in Group G, whose 2010 is proceeding a whole lot less impressively but who nevertheless beat Singapore Armed Forces to go six points clear in second place with only two more matches to play. There were only 7500 people there to see it, mind.

The other two Japanese sides, however, are thiiiiiiis close to being eliminated, Kawasaki Frontale continuing their very disappointing results by losing 1-0 at Melbourne Victory just a week after they'd biffed them 4-0 back in Kawasaki. Both Frontale and the Victory have a chance of catching Beijing Guoan to get out of Group E, but for Sanfrecce Hiroshima in Group H it's almost certainly a case of too little, too late. They picked up their first points by beating Adelaide United 1-0 with a Hisato Sato header just before half time, but Sanfrecce can only make the top two places if they win both their remaining games and other results go their way.

On the domestic scene, the two groups of the Nabisco Cup had their first round of matches on Wednesday night. All of the Group A games ended in draws, rookie forward Kentaro Shigematsu getting an injury time equaliser in the most exciting of the three for FC Tokyo against Nagoya Grampus. A goal in the dying seconds from veteran midfielder Robson Ponte also enabled Urawa Reds to get a point from their Group B match with J1 strugglers Jubilo Iwata, whose local rivals Shimizu S-Pulse go to the top of the early competition standings thanks to a 2-0 defeat of Shonan Bellmare.



Kyoto against Omiya, the true glamour of the Nabisco Cup

ACL Group E - Scores & Standings @ Round 4/6

Beijing Guoan 0-1 Seongnam Ilhwa Chunwa
Melbourne Victory 1-0 Kawasaki Frontale

1. Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma 12 (+7)
2. Beijing Guoan 6 (-)
----------------
3. Kawasaki Frontale 3 (-1)
4. Melbourne Victory 3 (-6)

ACL Group F - Scores & Standings @ Round 4/6

Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors 1-0 Changchun Yatai
Persipura Jayapura 1-3 Kashima Antlers

1. Kashima Antlers 12 (+9)
2. Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors 9 (+4)
----------------
3. Changchun Yatai 3 (+6)
4. Persipura Jayapura 0 (-19)

ACL Group G - Scores & Standings @ Round 4/6

Gamba Osaka 3-0 Singapore Armed Forces
Suwon Samsung Bluewings 2-0 Henan Construction

1. Suwon Samsung Bluewings 10 (+6)
2. Gamba Osaka 8 (+5)
----------------
3. Henan Construction 2 (-4)
4. Singapore Armed Forces 1 (-7)

ACL Group H - Scores & Standings @ Round 4/6

Sanfrecce Hiroshima 1-0 Adelaide United
Shandong Luneng 1-2 Pohang Steelers

1. Adelaide United 9 (+3)
2. Pohang Steelers 9 (+2)
----------------
3. Sanfrecce Hiroshima 3 (-2)
4. Shandong Luneng 3 (-3)

Nabisco Cup Group A Scores & Standings @ Round 1/6

FC Tokyo 2-2 Nagoya
Kyoto 1-1 Omiya
Niigata 0-0 Sendai

Bye: Cerezo

1. = FC Tokyo 1 (-)
1. = Nagoya 1 (-)
----------------
3. = Kyoto 1 (-)
3. = Omiya 1 (-)
5. = Niigata 1 (-)
5. = Sendai 1 (-)
[7. Cerezo]

Nabisco Cup Group B Scores & Standings @ Round 1/6

Marinos 1-0 Yamagata
S-Pulse 2-0 Shonan
Urawa 1-1 Jubilo

Bye: Kobe

1. S-Pulse 3 (+2)
2. Marinos 3 (+1)
----------------
3. = Jubilo 1 (-)
3. = Urawa 1 (-)
5. Yamagata 0 (-1)
6. Shonan 0 (-2)
[7. Kobe]

It was a busy week all round for the J1 teams, with ACL and Nabisco Cup matches to conte... er, enjoy, but over the weekend it's on with round five of the new season's league schedule. Looking ominously strong already are champions Kashima Antlers and Oswaldo Oliveira's side make the short trip north for what is likely to be a tough match at promoted Vegalta Sendai. The other two big games are both in Kanagawa prefecture, as second-placed Shimizu S-Pulse visit third-placed Yokohama F Marinos and the deeply unpredictable Kawasaki Frontale host FC Tokyo and star man Naohiro Ishikawa.

The sensation that's sweeping the J2 nation, aka the increasingly mighty Tokushima Vortis, aim to keep going their best-ever start to a season by beating relegated and cash-strapped Oita Trinita. Favourites to make a quick return to the top division are Kashiwa Reysol, at home to an unbeaten Mito Hollyhock, while the unexpectedly prolific Avispa Fukuoka are at struggling Tokyo Verdy. Meanwhile in the JFL two of the leading teams and J-League associate members meet in Kyushu, as V Varen Nagasaki meet Machida Zelvia in the game of the weekend in round four.

Just like Sir Billiam of Idol and the word "puh-lease," in a Smash Hits stylee it's back back back. What is? Why, the J-League Goal of the Month video clip, of course! There are ten goals in the March compilation, which is here, ranging from Igor Burzanovic's piece of opportunism to score from his own half for Nagoya Grampus, to Kyoto Sanga cutting through the Kashima Antlers defence for Diego to half-volley in a late equaliser. My favourite this time around, though, is a beautifully controlled piece of finishing on the volley by Yojiro Takahagi of Sanfrecce Hiroshima against Vissel Kobe. Here's the full list of contenders:

1. Shunsuke Nakamura, hopeless defending + hopeful shot = goal for Marinos v Kawasaki
2. Yojiro Takahagi, delicious side-footed volley for Hiroshima v Kobe
3. Hisato Sato, controversial penalty for Hiroshima v S-Pulse
4. Mato Neretljak, free-kick blaster for Omiya v Sendai
5. Diego, quick passing and half-volleyed finish for Kyoto v Kashima
6. Kenta Kano, long run and shot for Marinos v Shonan
7. Hayato Hashimoto, direct from a corner for Omiya v Cerezo
8. Diego, long range shot for Kyoto v Jubilo
9. Hiroki Nakayama, calm lob of the keeper for Kyoto v Jubilo
10. Igor Burzanovic, snap shot from halfway line for Nagoya v Jubilo

It's been a weekend of sensations at the top and bottom of J1, a particularly uncomfortable sensation for Gamba Osaka coach Akira Nishino being that he is under increasing pressure due to his team's disastrous start to the 2010 season. A cataclysmic defensive performance at Jubilo Iwata saw the Blue and Blacks lose 4-3 and fall into the relegation zone - a position far, far away from the sort of placing that Gamba fans feel they ought to be able to expect. Jubilo, meanwhile, climbed out of the bottom three thanks to what was their own first win of the new campaign.

Suffering their first defeat, on the other hand, were Kashima Antlers, who fell a goal behind in the opening minute at a battling Vegalta Sendai, had striker Marquinhos sent off after only a quarter of an hour and eventually lost 2-1. With promoted Sendai moving into third place, Kashima's lead in the standings was taken by Shimizu S-Pulse, 2-1 winners at Yokohama F Marinos. S-Pulse's international striker Shinji Okazaki scored both the goals for the Shizuoka Oranges, although not much went right for the Sailors in that they had Shunsuke Nakamura taken off injured and also missed a penalty.

Shock J2 tabletoppers Tokushima Vortis came back down to earth with a resounding thwack, beaten 3-0 on Saturday at home by Oita Trinita. Another rank outsider, Roasso Kumamoto, are in the top three for the first time ever, but Kashiwa Reysol moved into first place via a last-minute winner against Mito Hollyhock. J-League hopefuls Gainare Tottori lead the way in the JFL on goal difference after a 3-0 win over lowly Arte Takasaki and at the bottom JEF Reserves picked up their first point of the season in a goalless draw against Sagawa Printing.



Vegalta Sendai scorer and keen admirer of Jesus, Fernandinho

J1 Scores & Standings @ Round 5/34

Cerezo 3-1 Kyoto
Jubilo 4-3 Gamba
Kawasaki 2-1 FC Tokyo
Marinos 1-2 S-Pulse
Nagoya 2-0 Kobe
Niigata 0-0 Omiya
Sendai 2-1 Kashima
Urawa 2-1 Shonan
Yamagata 1-0 Hiroshima

1. S-Pulse 11 (+5)
2. Kashima 10 (+4)
3. Sendai 10 (+3)
----------------
4. Urawa 10 (+1)
- - - - - - - - - -
5. Kawasaki 10 (-1)
6. Nagoya 9 (+4)
7. Marinos 7 (+5)
8. Hiroshima 7 (+2)
9. FC Tokyo 7 (+1)
10. Kyoto 7 (-2)
11. Cerezo 5 (-2)
12. Yamagata 5 (-4)
13. = Kobe 4 (-2)
13. = Omiya 4 (-2)
15. Jubilo 4 (-3)
----------------
16. Shonan 4 (-4)
17. Gamba 3 (-2)
18. Niigata 3 (-3)

J2 Scores & Standings @ Round 5/36

Gifu 3-0 Sapporo
Kashiwa 1-0 Mito
Kitakyushu 0-3 JEF
Kofu 0-2 Tosu
Kusatsu 1-2 Kumamoto
Okayama 1-2 Tochigi
Tokushima 0-3 Oita
Toyama 2-1 Yokohama FC
Verdy 1-1 Fukuoka

1. Kashiwa 13 (+5)
2. Tokushima 12 (+3)
3. Kumamoto 11 (+3)
-----------------
4. Fukuoka 10 (+9)
5. JEF 10 (+4)
6. Yokohama FC 9 (+4)
7. Oita 9 (+3)
8. Tochigi 7 (+2)
9. Tosu 7 (+1)
10. Sapporo 7 (-3)
11. Gifu 6 (-)
12. Mito 6 (-)
13. Ehime 4 (-1)
14. Kofu 4 (-3)
15. Okayama 4 (-3)
16. Kitakyushu 4 (-6)
17. Toyama 3 (-7)
18. Verdy 1 (-4)
19. Kusatsu 0 (-7)

JFL Scores & Standings @ Round 4/34

Arte Takasaki 0-3 Gainare Tottori
FC Ryukyu 0-1 Yokogawa Musashino
Honda Lock 2-2 Honda FC
JEF Reserves 0-0 Sagawa Printing
Matsumoto Yamaga 0-0 Sagawa Shiga
MIO Biwako Kusatsu 1-0 Blaublitz Akita
Ryutsu Keizai University 1-3 Sony Sendai
Tochigi UVA 1-3 Zweigen Kanazawa
V Varen Nagasaki 0-1 Machida Zelvia

1. Gainare Tottori* 10 (+7)
2. Sony Sendai 10 (+5)
3. Machida Zelvia* 10 (+5)
4. Sagawa Printing 8 (+2)
- - - - - - - - - -
5. MIO Biwako Kusatsu 7 (+4)
6. Blaublitz Akita 7 (+4)
7. V Varen Nagasaki* 7 (+2)
8. Sagawa Shiga 6 (+4)
9. Yokogawa Musashino 6 (-)
10. Zweigen Kanazawa 4 (-1)
11. Honda FC 4 (-1)
12. FC Ryukyu 4 (-1)
13. Matsumoto Yamaga* 4 (-4)
14. Tochigi UVA 4 (-5)
15. Arte Takasaki 3 (-5)
16. Honda Lock 2 (-3)
17. Ryutsu Keizai University 1 (-4)
18. JEF Reserves 1 (-9)

* indicates J-League associate member and thus potentially eligible for promotion

Japan Regional Leagues

Kyushu

1 Day

Kaiho F.C 1-0 Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Nagasaki
Kyushu SSC 1-2 Hoyo Atletico Elan
Nippon Steel Oita 4-1 MSU F.C
Kyushu INAX 1-1 Kawasoe Club (5-4)
Exento: Volca Kagoshima

1 Nippon Steel Oita 3 Pts
2 Hoyo Atletico Elan 3 Pts
3 Kaiho F.C 3 Pts
4 Kyushu INAX 2 Pts
5 Kawasoe Club 1 Pts
6 Volca Kagoshima 0 Pts
7 Kyushu SSC 0 Pts
8 Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Nagasaki 0 Pts
9 MSU F.C 0 Pts

Photos Kyushu SSC - Hoyo Atletico Elan

2 Day

Kawasoe Club 1-2 Kaiho F.C
MSU F.C 0-5 Volca Kagoshima
Hoyo Atletico Elan 2-1 Nippon Steel Oita
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Nagasaki 2-4 Kyushu SSC
Exento: Kyushu INAX

1 Hoyo Atletico Elan 6 Pts
2 Kaiho F.C 6 Pts
3 Volca Kagoshima 3 Pts
4 Kyushu SSC 3 Pts
5 Nippon Steel Oita 3 Pts
6 Kyushu INAX 2 Pts
7 Kawasoe Club 1 Pts
8 Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Nagasaki 0 Pts
9 MSU F.C 0 Pts

3 Day (18)

Volca Kagoshima - Hoyo Atletico Elan
Kaiho F.C - Kyushu INAX
Nippon Steel Oita - Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Nagasaki
Kyushu SSC - Kawasoe Club
Exento: MSU F.C

Kanto

1 Day

Yokohama Soccer & Culture Club 6-1 Tonan Maebashi
AC Almaleza 1-5 Vertfee Takahara Nasu
F.C Korea 2-0 Club Dragons
Saitama SC 1-0 Atsugi Marcus

1 Yokohama Soccer & Culture Club 3 Pts
2 Vertfee Takahara Nasu 3 Pts
3 F.C Korea 3 Pts
4 Saitama SC 3 Pts
5 Atsugi Marcus 0 Pts
6 Club Dragons 0 Pts
7 AC Almaleza 0 Pts
8 Tonan Maebashi 0 Pts

2 Day (10/11)

Vertfee Takahara Nasu - Yokohama Soccer & Culture Club
Tonan Maebashi - AC Almaleza
Atsugi Marcus - Club Dragons
F.C Korea - Saitama SC

Shikoku

1 Day

Kamatamare Sanuki 3-0 F.C Kuroshio
Tokushima Vortis 2nd 5-1 R.Velho
Ehime F.C Shimanami 3-0 Minami Club
Nangoku Kochi F.C 1-1 Sanyo Electric Tokushima

1 Tokushima Vortis 2nd 3 Pts
2 Ehime F.C Shimanami 3 Pts
3 Kamatamare Sanuki 3 Pts
4 Nangoku Kochi F.C 1 Pts
5 Sanyo Electric Tokushima 1 Pts
6 F.C Kuroshio 0 Pts
7 Minami Club 0 Pts
8 R.Velho 0 Pts

2 Day (10)

Kamatamare Sanuki - R.Velho
Tokushima Vortis 2nd - F.C Kuroshio
Nangoku Kochi F.C - Ehime F.C Shimanami
Sanyo Electric Tokushima - Minami Club

Japan's lacklustre preparations for the World Cup finals continued on Wednesday night in Osaka, when a young Serbian side comprehensively outplayed Takeshi Okada's Samurai Blue. Dragan Mrda of Novi Sad scored twice in a 3-0 win for Serbia, who despite their inexperience scarcely needed to put on a great performance to demolish a feeble Japanese defence. Having had earlier chances to score, the visitors took the lead in 14th minute when Mrda took advantage of huge gaps in the Japan back line to shoot comfortably past Nagoya Grampus keeper Seigo Narazaki.

After Red Star Belgrade's Pavle Ninkov delivered a simple-looking cross from the Serbian right, further horrific defensive play provided Mrda with the time and repeated opportunity to doubled his team's lead, which was stretched to three clear goals after an hour when Narazaki allowed Nemanja Tomic's hardly explosive free kick to squeeze past him into the bottom corner. Boos rang round the stadium on the final whistle, as the increasingly hapless-looking Okada trudged towards the dressing room. Positives to come from the game for Japan? Hmmm. Take a look at the highlights, here, and decide for yourself.

There's no getting away from it, things have looked a lot better than is currently the case for the game in Japan. Rarely can a country have regarded the prospect of World Cup participation with a greater sense of despondency, the latest and worst in a woeful run of National Team performances coming in midweek against a C-strength Serbia. Among fans there is something approaching zero belief in coach Takeshi Okada, although Nagoya Grampus coach Dragan Stojkovic on Thursday pointed the finger elsewhere, saying he "couldn't understand the attitude of the players" and expressing the hope that the Serbia match would be a "slap in the face" for the squad.

So can the J-League engage supporters in a way that the National Side are seemingly failing to do? Well, last week's defeat of Kashima Antlers by Vegalta Sendai has slightly curbed initial worries that the Antlers were set to run away with what would be a fourth consecutive title and the weekend's first-against-third match is in fact Sendai's trip to table-toppers Shimizu S-Pulse; Kashima meanwhile go to FC Tokyo. At the other end of the standings, Albirex Niigata host an improving Urawa Reds and the season's most disappointing team, Gamba Osaka, attempt to pick up their first league win away at Omiya Ardija.

Tokushima Vortis have a week off in J2, giving the opportunity to Kashiwa Reysol to extend their advantage at the top of the table if they can beat Consadole Sapporo; shock challengers Roasso Kumamoto have what is undoubtedly a key game at home to shock strugglers Ventforet Kofu. In the JFL, leaders Gainare Tottori ought to be able to maintain their unbeaten start to the season against Honda Lock but the most keenly-contested fixture is likely to be in rural Ishikawa prefecture, where there is a meeting between promoted former Hokushinetsu Leaguer big guns Zweigen Kanazawa and Matsumoto Yamaga.

It might have been the only home win in the whole of the division, but Shimizu S-Pulse's 5-1 destruction of Vegalta Sendai on Sunday means that the Shizuoka Oranges held on to top spot in J1 at the end of the weekend's matches. International forward Shinji Okazaki for once wasn't among the scorers for S-Pulse, although his Norwegian strike partner Frode Johnsen did manage to get his first of the season. Urawa Reds, Kawasaki Frontale and Nagoya Grampus all picked up good away wins to stay in touch at the top, although Kashima Antlers could only draw at FC Tokyo.

Six games in, then, and it's more apparent who the possible title challengers might be, but the participants in the relegation battle are also now becoming clearer. Albirex Niigata pushed Urawa hard but had no cutting edge and are still looking for their first win of 2010, while a home defeat by Montedio Yamagata is not a good sign for supporters of Vissel Kobe. Gamba Osaka at last got off the mark with a three-goal burst either side of half time that took them past Omiya Ardija, although Gamba's new goal hero Shoki Hirai picked up a hamstring injury to take the shine off their afternoon.

The three sides relegated from J1 now form the leading trio in J2, JEF United biffing Yokohama FC 4-0 and Kashiwa Reysol equalising two minutes from time at Consadole Sapporo; at the bottom, Thespa Kusatsu got their first point of the year at Tochigi SC. There were draws aplenty in the JFL, Gainare Tottori surprisingly being held by Honda Lock and Matsumoto Yamaga tying things up late on at Zweigen Kanazawa. The stand-out result came at Sagawa Printing, for whom Shogo Shiozawa netted four times as his side crushed MIO Biwako Kusatsu 8-2.



Shoki Hirai of Gamba scraps it out with Omiya's Mato Neretljak

J1 Scores & Standings @ Round 6/34

FC Tokyo 1-1 Kashima
Hiroshima 0-3 Kawasaki
Kobe 0-2 Yamagata
Kyoto 0-2 Nagoya
Marinos 0-0 Cerezo
Niigata 0-2 Urawa
Omiya 1-3 Gamba
S-Pulse 5-1 Sendai
Shonan 0-0 Jubilo

1. S-Pulse 14 (+9)
2. Urawa 13 (+3)
3. Kawasaki 13 (+2)
----------------
4. Nagoya 12 (+6)
- - - - - - - - - -
5. Kashima 11 (+4)
6. Sendai 10 (-1)
7. Marinos 8 (+5)
8. FC Tokyo 8 (+1)
9. Yamagata 8 (-2)
10. Hiroshima 7 (-1)
11. Kyoto 7 (-4)
12. Gamba 6 (-)
13. Cerezo 6 (-2)
14. Jubilo 5 (-3)
15. Shonan 5 (-4)
----------------
16. Omiya 4 (-4)
17. Kobe 4 (-4)
18. Niigata 3 (-5)

J2 Scores & Standings @ Round 6/36

Ehime 1-0 Verdy
Fukuoka 0-2 Gifu
JEF 4-0 Yokohama FC
Kumamoto 0-1 Kofu
Oita 1-0 Okayama
Sapporo 1-1 Kashiwa
Tochigi 0-0 Kusatsu
Tosu 1-0 Mito
Toyama 1-0 Kitakyushu

1. Kashiwa 14 (+5)
2. JEF 13 (+8)
3. Oita 12 (+4)
-----------------
4. Tokushima 12 (+3)
5. Kumamoto 11 (+2)
6. Fukuoka 10 (+7)
7. Tosu 10 (+2)
8. Gifu 9 (+2)
9. Yokohama FC 9 (-)
10. Tochigi 7 (+2)
11. Sapporo 8 (-3)
12. Ehime 7 (-)
13. Kofu 7 (-2)
14. Mito 6 (-1)
15. Toyama 6 (-6)
16. Okayama 4 (-3)
17. Kitakyushu 4 (-7)
18. Verdy 1 (-5)
19. Kusatsu 1 (-7)

JFL Scores & Standings @ Round 5/34

Blaublitz Akita 0-0 V Varen Nagasaki
Gainare Tottori 0-0 Honda Lock
Honda FC 2-1 JEF Reserves
Machida Zelvia 3-1 Tochigi UVA
Sagawa Printing 8-2 MIO Biwako Kusatsu
Sagawa Shiga 3-0 FC Ryukyu
Sony Sendai 1-1 Arte Takasaki
Yokogawa Musashino 0-0 Ryutsu Keizai University
Zweigen Kanazawa 1-1 Matsumoto Yamaga

1. Machida Zelvia* 13 (+7)
2. Sagawa Printing 11 (+8)
3. Gainare Tottori* 11 (+7)
4. Sony Sendai 11 (+5)
- - - - - - - - - -
5. Sagawa Shiga 9 (+7)
6. Blaublitz Akita 8 (+4)
7. V Varen Nagasaki* 8 (+2)
8. Honda FC 7 (-)
9. Yokogawa Musashino 7 (-)
10. MIO Biwako Kusatsu 7 (-2)
11. Zweigen Kanazawa 5 (-1)
12. Matsumoto Yamaga* 5 (-4)
13. FC Ryukyu 4 (-4)
14. Arte Takasaki 4 (-5)
15. Tochigi UVA 4 (-7)
16. Honda Lock 3 (-3)
17. Ryutsu Keizai University 2 (-4)
18. JEF Reserves 1 (-10)

* indicates J-League associate member and thus potentially eligible for promotion

This week's photo special comes from the rural fringes of Greater Tokyo and the derby match between Tochigi SC and Thespa Kusatsu. Tochigi seem to have made significant strides when compared with 2009 - their first year as a J2 club - and are now mid-table although they have yet to score in three home games. Kusatsu had hopes that the signing of former international defender Kazuyuki Toda could fire them up the table, but instead the close-season departure of striker Ken Tokura has had a more significant impact and the 0-0 draw with their near neighbours was the Hot Spring Boys' first point of 2010.



Crazy hat, crazy gal



The immortalisation of Tochigi's Makoto Sugimoto



It says, The Kusatsu Army On Tour

A quick preview of the second round of games in the Group Stage of the Nabisco Cup, which will be taking place on Wednesday. Two weeks ago, all three matches in Group A ended in draws and Cerezo Osaka seem to have the best opportunity of beginning with a win at home to J1's bottom team, Albirex Niigata. Shimizu S-Pulse are both top of the league and top of Group B, and aim to continue their tremendous start to 2010 away at Montedio Yamagata, while joint group leaders Yokohama F Marinos make the short trip down to Shizuoka and Jubilo Iwata.

It's been round five of the Group Stage games in the Asian Champions League this week and all in all, the J-League representatives came out of it well. The only side definitely eliminated are Sanfrecce Hiroshima from Group H and even they managed their first away win in the competition, 3-2 at China's Shandong Luneng, but a draw between Adelaide United and Pohang Steelers sees Hiroshima bow out. At the other end of the scale, Kashima Antlers kept going their 100% record in Group F by beating Changchun Yatai and the Japanese champions are long-qualified for the knock-out phase.

They might have had a very slow start to the J-League season but Gamba Osaka rose to the top of Group G with a 2-1 win over Suwon Samsung Bluewings. Seventeen-year-old starlet Takashi Usami got the decisive goal in injury time for Gamba, who like Kashima are definitely through to the next phase of the tournament. In contrast, Kawasaki Frontale have it all to play for as they battle to get out of Group E. A crushing 3-0 triumph over group table-toppers Seongnam Ilhwa Chunwa means that if Frontale can win the last match in China against Beijing Guoan, an unlikely qualification will be theirs.

Meanwhile in the Nabisco Cup on Wednesday, FC Tokyo went top of Group A thanks to a cracking effort by Ricardinho that was enough to win the game at Omiya Ardija. Bottom of the league, somehow Albirex Niigata managed to scramble their first victory of 2010 at Cerezo Osaka and thereby occupy the second qualification spot. New leaders in Group B are Urawa Reds, who came from behind to win comfortably enough at J1 strugglers Vissel Kobe, and Jubilo Iwata's ex-Mito Hollyhock contingent of Tomoyuki Arata and Park Joo Ho were both on target in the win over Yokohama F Marinos.



So this is what winning is like, Albirex Niigata

ACL Group E - Scores & Standings @ Round 5/6

Kawasaki Frontale 3-0 Seongnam Ilhwa Chunwa
Melbourne Victory 0-0 Beijing Guoan

1. Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma 12 (+4)
2. Beijing Guoan 7 (-)
----------------
3. Kawasaki Frontale 6 (+2)
4. Melbourne Victory 4 (-6)

ACL Group F - Scores & Standings @ Round 5/6

Changchun Yatai 0-1 Kashima Antlers
Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors 8-0 Persipura Jayapura

1. Kashima Antlers 15 (+10)
2. Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors 12 (+12)
----------------
3. Changchun Yatai 3 (+6)
4. Persipura Jayapura 0 (-27)

ACL Group G - Scores & Standings @ Round 5/6

Gamba Osaka 2-1 Suwon Samsung Bluewings
Singapore Armed Forces 2-1 Henan Construction

1. Gamba Osaka 11 (+6)
2. Suwon Samsung Bluewings 10 (+5)
----------------
3. Singapore Armed Forces 4 (-6)
4. Henan Construction 2 (-5)

ACL Group H - Scores & Standings @ Round 5/6

Pohang Steelers 0-0 Adelaide United
Shandong Luneng 2-3 Sanfrecce Hiroshima
1. Adelaide United 10 (+3)
2. Pohang Steelers 10 (+2)
----------------
3. Sanfrecce Hiroshima 6 (-1)
4. Shandong Luneng 3 (-4)

Nabisco Cup Group A - Scores & Standings @ Round 2/6

Cerezo 0-1 Niigata
Omiya 0-1 FC Tokyo
Sendai 1-1 Kyoto

Bye: Nagoya

1. FC Tokyo 4 (+1)
2. Niigata 4 (+1)
----------------
3. = Kyoto 2 (-)
3. = Sendai 2 (-)
5. Nagoya 1 (-)
6. Omiya 1 (-1)
7. Cerezo 0 (-1)

Nabisco Cup Group B - Scores & Standings @ Round 2/6

Jubilo 2-1 Marinos
Kobe 1-3 Urawa
Yamagata 0-0 S-Pulse

Bye: Shonan

1. Urawa 4 (+2)
2. S-Pulse 4 (+2)
----------------
3. Jubilo 4 (+1)
4. Marinos 3 (-)
5. Yamagata 1 (-1)
6. Kobe 0 (-2)
7. Shonan 0 (-2)

Ooof. J-League round seven already? Well, there are a lot of games to get through, especially as for the J1 teams the World Cup finals mean a full two-month break that starts in the middle of May. Current leaders Shimizu S-Pulse attempt to continue their tip-top start at Gamba Osaka and the biggest crowd of the weekend will no doubt see second play third at Urawa Reds, where Kawasaki Frontale are the visitors. There are suggestions, too, that Dragan Stojkovic may be putting together a side to challenge for the title at Nagoya Grampus and the Red Whales can make it four wins in a row at home to Albirex Niigata.

In J2, Kashiwa Reysol are showing signs of being able to bounce straight back to the top division but the Sun Kings have a potentially tricky match with Sagan Tosu, while there's a derby game down Shikoku way as Tokushima Vortis host neighbours and rivals Ehime FC. But 2010 is looking pretty hopeless for fallen giants Tokyo Verdy and the Green Machine will hope to get their first win of the year at FC Gifu. Battling to move into the J-League next season, Machida Zelvia lead the JFL and go to Blaublitz Akita as surprise package Sagawa Printing make the long journey down south to Kyushu and V Varen Nagasaki.

Unseasonably cold and a bit on the dull side, is how things turned out in J1 over the weekend. There was snow to be cleared off the pitches at northern-based sides Montedio Yamagata and Vegalta Sendai, but having gone to all that trouble they both ended up losing, Yamagata being passed to bits by the quality of the Yokohama F Marinos midfield and Sendai going down to a shock defeat by Vissel Kobe. But generally, across the division it was goals that were - a-hahaha - thin on the ground, new leaders Urawa Reds being the exception as they got three to beat Kawasaki Frontale.

Previous tabletoppers Shimizu S-Pulse conceded a dubious penalty but in the end managed a draw at injury-hit Gamba Osaka, who are being linked in the press with a move for ex-Consadole Sapporo and Nagoya Grampus striker Davi. Nagoya themselves dropped points as their home game with struggling Albirex Niigata also finished 1-1 and Gamba's rivals Cerezo Osaka got the only other win of the round, 2-1 over Shonan Bellmare, which was more comfortable than the score suggests and featured goals four and five of the season for their young star Shinji Kagawa.

Consolidating their excellent start to 2010 at the top of J2, Kashiwa Reysol beat Sagan Tosu 2-0 and are now a couple of points clear of Oita Trinita, who came from a goal down at half time to win at bottom side Thespa Kusatsu. Moving third in the table and enjoying their best-ever J-League season are Roasso Kumamoto, 2-1 winners over Yokohama FC. And not a million miles from Yokohama, Machida Zelvia are looking like they might be gearing up for a promotion campaign, given that their late triumph over Blaublitz Akita kept going their unbeaten run to the top of the JFL.



Hardy Yamagata-ites before their team's game with Marinos

J1 Scores & Standings @ Round 7/34

Cerezo 2-1 Shonan
FC Tokyo 1-1 Kyoto
Gamba 1-1 S-Pulse
Jubilo 1-1 Omiya
Kashima 0-0 Hiroshima
Nagoya 1-1 Niigata
Sendai 0-1 Kobe
Urawa 3-0 Kawasaki
Yamagata 0-1 Marinos

1. Urawa 16 (+6)
2. S-Pulse 15 (+9)
3. Nagoya 13 (+6)
----------------
4. Kawasaki 13 (-1)
- - - - - - - - - -
5. Kashima 12 (+4)
6. Marinos 11 (+6)
7. Sendai 10 (-2)
8. FC Tokyo 9 (+1)
9. Cerezo 9 (-1)
10. Hiroshima 8 (-1)
11. Yamagata 8 (-3)
12. Kyoto 8 (-4)
13. Gamba 7 (-)
14. Kobe 7 (-3)
15. Jubilo 6 (-3)
----------------
16. Omiya 5 (-4)
17. Shonan 5 (-5)
18. Niigata 4 (-5)

J2 Scores & Standings @ Round 7/36

Gifu 0-1 Verdy
Kashiwa 2-0 Tosu
Kitakyushu 1-1 Tochigi
Kofu 5-0 Toyama
Kusatsu 1-3 Oita
Mito 1-0 Fukuoka
Okayama 2-1 JEF
Tokushima 0-0 Ehime
Yokohama FC 1-2 Kumamoto

Bye: Sapporo

1. Kashiwa 17 (+7)
2. Oita 15 (+6)
3. Kumamoto 14 (+3)
-----------------
4. JEF 13 (+7)
5. Tokushima 13 (+3)
6. Fukuoka 10 (+6)
7. Kofu 10 (+3)
8. Tosu 10 (+2)
9. Tochigi 9 (+2)
10. Gifu 9 (+1)
11. Mito 9 (-)
12. Yokohama FC 9 (-1)
13. Ehime 8 (-)
14. Sapporo 8 (-3)
15. Okayama 7 (-3)
16. Toyama 6 (-11)
17. Kitakyushu 5 (-7)
18. Verdy 4 (-4)
19. Kusatsu 1 (-9)

JFL Scores & Standings @ Round 6/34

Arte Takasaki 1-0 Yokogawa Musashino
Blaublitz Akita 1-2 Machida Zelvia
FC Ryukyu 3-1 Zweigen Kanazawa
Honda Lock 2-1 Sony Sendai
JEF Reserves 0-3 Gainare Tottori
Matsumoto Yamaga 2-3 Tochigi UVA
MIO Biwako Kusatsu 0-1 Honda FC
Ryutsu Keizai University 2-5 Sagawa Shiga
V Varen Nagasaki 1-1 Sagawa Printing

1. Machida Zelvia* 16 (+8)
2. Gainare Tottori* 14 (+10)
3. Sagawa Shiga 12 (+10)
4. Sagawa Printing 12 (+8)
- - - - - - - - - -
5. Sony Sendai 11 (+5)
6. Honda FC 10 (+1)
7. V Varen Nagasaki* 9 (+2)
8. Blaublitz Akita 8 (+3)
9. Yokogawa Musashino 7 (-1)
10. FC Ryukyu 7 (-2)
11. MIO Biwako Kusatsu 7 (-3)
12. Arte Takasaki 7 (-4)
13. Tochigi UVA 7 (-6)
14. Honda Lock 6 (-2)
15. Zweigen Kanazawa 5 (-3)
16. Matsumoto Yamaga* 5 (-5)
17. Ryutsu Keizai University 2 (-7)
18. JEF Reserves 1 (-13)

* indicates J-League associate member and thus potentially eligible for promotion

The J-League season is now winding down towards its two-month break for the World Cup, but while media attention is starting to concentrate on National Team coach Takeshi Okada's announcement of the final squad on 10 May, there are still valuable J1 points to be won. Urawa Reds roared to the top of the standings last weekend with a thumping of Kawasaki Frontale and Volker Finke's improving side ought to be able to pick up three more points at home to cash-strapped Jubilo Iwata. Having missed their opportunity to overtake Urawa by losing their midweek game in hand, Nagoya Grampus must bounce back at Cerezo Osaka.

There's a real stand-out game in J2, as leaders Kashiwa Reysol make the long trip to surprise package Roasso Kumamoto, who are currently impressing in third place under the tutelage of former Tokyo Verdy and Yokohama FC coach Takuya Takagi. Rock bottom and still without a win, however, poor old Thespa Kusatsu go to the Pheasants of Fagiano Okayama. In the JFL, unbeaten frontrunners Machida Zelvia are at home to a Matsumoto Yamaga side who have managed to attract excellent support but are currently stuck in the bottom four in what is their first-ever season out of the Regional Leagues.

Typical J-League, huh. A week after Urawa Reds went top of J1 after giving a thumping to Kawasaki Frontale, Volker Finke's team lost 1-0 at home to Jubilo Iwata and dropped to third as a consequence. New leaders are Shimizu S-Pulse, although they rather fluked their way to a two-point advantage over the chasing pack with a freak late winner from Masaki Yamamoto against Omiya Ardija. Nagoya Grampus are second as they recovered from the disappointment of a midweek game-in-hand defeat by Sanfrecce Hiroshima to sneak past an unlucky Cerezo Osaka.

Elsewhere in the top division, Montedio Yamagata moved up to an impressive eighth position by winning at Kyoto Sanga, while Vegalta Sendai's excellent start to the year seems to be fading from view. They lost again on Sunday, 1-0 to fellow promoted outfit Shonan Bellmare, who in turn move away from the relegation zone. And so the bottom three is now made up of Omiya, Vissel Kobe - well beaten at Kashima Antlers - and Albirex Niigata, currently dead last and still looking for their first league win of 2010 after conceding an injury time equaliser by Sanfrecce's Satoru Yamagishi.

Thespa Kusatsu succeeded where Niigata failed, picking up a victory at Fagiano Okayama, although they remain bottom of J2. Kashiwa Reysol confirmed their status as that division's team to beat with a 3-1 win at Roasso Kumamoto, although Oita Trinita dropped points by only drawing with neighbours Giravanz Kitakyushu. The top four teams in the JFL all won, Machida Zelvia thrashing Matsumoto Yamaga 6-1 to stay two points clear. Zweigen Kanazawa celebrated putting in their application for J-League Associate Membership by recording a 4-0 win over Ryutsu Keizai University.



Uh-oh, someone's lost the JEF United "Last one to step back over the line has to tidy up the dressing room" competition

J1 Scores & Standings @ Round 8/34

Cerezo 0-1 Nagoya
Gamba 2-0 FC Tokyo
Kawasaki 3-0 Kobe
Kyoto 1-2 Yamagata
Marinos 1-3 Kashima
Niigata 2-2 Hiroshima
S-Pulse 2-1 Omiya
Shonan 1-0 Sendai
Urawa 0-1 Jubilo

1. S-Pulse 18 (+10)
2. Nagoya 16 (+6)
3. Urawa 16 (+5)
----------------
4. Kawasaki 16 (+2)
- - - - - - - - - -
5. Kashima 15 (+6)
6. Hiroshima 12 (-)
7. Marinos 11 (+4)
8. Yamagata 11 (-2)
9. Gamba 10 (+2)
10. Sendai 10 (-3)
11. FC Tokyo 9 (-1)
12. Jubilo 9 (-2)
13. Cerezo 9 (-2)
14. Shonan 8 (-4)
15. Kyoto 8 (-5)
----------------
16. Kobe 7 (-6)
17. Omiya 5 (-5)
18. Niigata 5 (-5)

J2 Scores & Standings @ Round 8/36

Ehime 2-0 Yokohama FC
Fukuoka 0-1 Tosu
JEF 2-0 Gifu
Kumamoto 1-3 Kashiwa
Oita 0-0 Kitakyushu
Okayama 0-1 Kusatsu
Sapporo 1-2 Mito
Toyama 2-3 Tokushima
Verdy 1-2 Kofu

Bye: Tochigi

1. Kashiwa 20 (+9)
2. JEF 16 (+9)
3. Oita 16 (+6)
-----------------
4. Tokushima 16 (+4)
5. Kumamoto 14 (+1)
6. Kofu 13 (+4)
7. Tosu 13 (+1)
8. Mito 12 (+1)
9. Ehime 11 (+2)
10. Fukuoka 10 (+5)
11. Tochigi 9 (+2)
12. Gifu 9 (-1)
13. Yokohama FC 9 (-3)
14. Sapporo 8 (-4)
15. Okayama 7 (-4)
16. Kitakyushu 6 (-7)
17. Toyama 6 (-12)
18. Verdy 4 (-5)
19. Kusatsu 4 (-8)

JFL Scores & Standings @ Round 7/34

Gainare Tottori 1-0 MIO Biwako Kusatsu
Honda FC 1-0 V Varen Nagasaki
Machida Zelvia 6-1 Matsumoto Yamaga
Sagawa Printing 2-1 Blaublitz Akita
Sagawa Shiga 1-0 Arte Takasaki
Sony Sendai 0-0 JEF Reserves
Tochigi UVA 2-5 FC Ryukyu
Yokogawa Musashino 3-0 Honda Lock
Zweigen Kanazawa 4-0 Ryutsu Keizai University

1. Machida Zelvia* 19 (+13)
2. Gainare Tottori* 17 (+11)
3. Sagawa Shiga 15 (+11)
4. Sagawa Printing 15 (+9)
- - - - - - - - - -
5. Honda FC 13 (+2)
6. Sony Sendai 12 (+4)
7. Yokogawa Musashino 10 (+2)
8. FC Ryukyu 10 (+1)
9. V Varen Nagasaki* 9 (+1)
10. Blaublitz Akita 8 (+2)
11. Zweigen Kanazawa 8 (+1)
12. MIO Biwako Kusatsu 7 (-4)
13. Arte Takasaki 7 (-5)
14. Tochigi UVA 7 (-9)
15. Honda Lock 6 (-5)
16. Matsumoto Yamaga* 5 (-10)
17. Ryutsu Keizai University 2 (-11)
18. JEF Reserves 2 (-13)

* indicates J-League associate member and thus potentially eligible for promotion

Only two of the four Japanese entrants will proceed to the knock-out phase of the Asian Champions League, following the staging of the final round of Group Stage matches on Tuesday and Wednesday evenings. Kashima Antlers made it through with a 100% record in Group E thanks to a 2-1 win over their nearest challengers Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors from South Korea, and although Gamba Osaka also go through from Group G a disappointing 1-1 draw in China against Henan Construction means that the J-Leaguers slip into second place behind another Korean side, Suwon Samsung Bluewings.

In Group H, Sanfrecce Hiroshima concluded their participation in the tournament with a tremendous 4-3 defeat of Pohang Steelers. The game was illuminated by a superb free kick by the Steelers' Shin Hyung Min and the cheekiest of penalty routines from Hiroshima, Hisato Sato nudging the ball sideways for Tomoaki Makino to blast in for the winning goal. Meanwhile the deeply inconsistent Kawasaki Frontale slumped out of Group E, losing their decisive game in China to Beijing Guoan. Gamba play Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma and Kashima take on Pohang in the Round of Sixteen in two weeks' time.

On Thursday night, attention will turn to the domestic Japanese scene as there is a full set of J2 fixtures. Leaders Kashiwa Reysol have a bye in the nineteen-team division and hoping to make up ground will be JEF United at Tochigi SC, Oita Trinita at out-of-form Yokohama FC and surprise package Tokushima Vortis, who ought to be able to pick up some points at home to Fagiano Okayama. Elsewhere, there is a Kyushu derby game between Sagan Tosu and Roasso Kumamoto, and bottom side Thespa Kusatsu will try to build on their first win of 2010 by beating fellow strugglers Kataller Toyama.



Hiroshima's Hirotsugu Nakabayashi saves a Pohang penalty

ACL Group E - Scores & Standings @ Round 6/6

Beijing Guoan 2-0 Kawasaki Frontale
Seongnam Ilhwa Chunwa 3-2 Melbourne Victory

1. Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma 15 (+5)
2. Beijing Guoan 10 (+2)
----------------
3. Kawasaki Frontale 6 (-)
4. Melbourne Victory 4 (-7)

ACL Group F - Scores & Standings @ Round 6/6

Kashima Antlers 2-1 Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors
Persipura Jayapura 2-0 Changchun Yatai

1. Kashima Antlers 18 (+11)
2. Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors 12 (+11)
----------------
3. Changchun Yatai 3 (+3)
4. Persipura Jayapura 3 (-25)

ACL Group G - Scores & Standings @ Round 6/6

Henan Construction 1-1 Gamba Osaka
Suwon Samsung Bluewings 6-2 Singapore Armed Forces

1. Suwon Samsung Bluewings 13 (+9)
2. Gamba Osaka 12 (+6)
----------------
3. Singapore Armed Forces 4 (-10)
4. Henan Construction 3 (-5)

ACL Group H - Scores & Standings @ Round 6/6

Adelaide United 0-1 Shandong Luneng
Sanfrecce Hiroshima 4-3 Pohang Steelers

1. Adelaide United 10 (+2)
2. Pohang Steelers 10 (+1)
----------------
3. Sanfrecce Hiroshima 9 (-)
4. Shandong Luneng 3 (-3)

Well, blimey, I forgot that there were JFL matches today as well. Never mind. So anyway, Thursday's J2 games first. The big winners were Kashiwa Reysol and they didn't even play, the division leaders seeing their already comfortable advantage at the top of the table trimmed by only a single point, as of their nearest challengers only JEF United avoided defeat. The Chiba Dogs finished 2-2 at draw specialists Tochigi SC, while Oita Trinita lost at Yokohama FC and Tokushima Vortis suffered the humiliation of a home defeat by Fagiano Okayama. Not good.

Although actually, as far as promotion races are concerned it's looking like this year might be a cracker in that aside from Reysol the teams are all taking points off each other. In form now are Ventforet Kofu, who brushed aside a Consadole Sapporo side notably lacking in confidence, and even the Shikoku Oranges of Ehime FC are moving into contention after beating Avispa Fukuoka 2-1. A win by the same scoreline enabled Thespa Kusatsu to move off the bottom of the standings, Kusatsu's opponents Kataller Toyama grasping the wooden spoon in their place.

So what about the JFL? Well, western Tokyo-ites Machida Zelvia continued their outstanding start to 2010, a superb 4-1 triumph over Sagawa Printing meaning that the J-League associate members now have seven wins and a draw in eight games. Also with their eyes in J2 are second-placed Gainare Tottori, who beat V Varen Nagasaki, although the big winners of the day were a team who have plans for professionalism that are a year or so behind the likes of Gainare and Zelvia. The at-times inconsistent Blaublitz Akita put five past Honda FC to move into the top half of the table.



That most treasured of items, a Machida Zelvia home shirt

J2 Scores & Standings @ Round 9/36

Ehime 2-1 Fukuoka
Kitakyushu 0-1 Gifu
Kofu 4-1 Sapporo
Kusatsu 2-1 Toyama
Mito 0-4 Verdy
Tochigi 2-2 JEF
Tokushima 2-3 Okayama
Tosu 1-1 Kumamoto
Yokohama FC 2-1 Oita

Bye: Kashiwa

1. Kashiwa 20 (+9)
2. JEF 17 (+9)
3. Kofu 16 (+7)
-----------------
4. Oita 16 (+5)
5. Tokushima 16 (+3)
6. Kumamoto 15 (+1)
7. Ehime 14 (+3)
8. Tosu 14 (+1)
9. Gifu 12 (-)
10. Yokohama FC 12 (-2)
11. Mito 12 (-3)
12. Fukuoka 10 (+4)
13. Tochigi 10 (+2)
14. Okayama 10 (-3)
15. Sapporo 8 (-7)
16. Verdy 7 (-1)
17. Kusatsu 7 (-7)
18. Kitakyushu 6 (-8)
19. Toyama 6 (-13)

JFL Scores & Standings @ Round 8/34

Arte Takasaki 05 May Zweigen Kanazawa
Blaublitz Akita 5-0 Honda FC
FC Ryukyu 0-2 Matsumoto Yamaga
Honda Lock 0-0 Sagawa Shiga
JEF Reserves 0-1 Yokogawa Musashino
MIO Biwako Kusatsu 2-0 Sony Sendai
Ryutsu Keizai University 2-0 Tochigi UVA
Sagawa Printing 1-4 Machida Zelvia
V Varen Nagasaki 1-2 Gainare Tottori

1. Machida Zelvia* 22 (+16)
2. Gainare Tottori* 20 (+12)
3. Sagawa Shiga 16 (+11)
4. Sagawa Printing 15 (+6)
- - - - - - - - - -
5. Yokogawa Musashino 13 (+3)
6. Honda FC 13 (-3)
7. Sony Sendai 12 (+2)
8. Blaublitz Akita 11 (+7)
9. FC Ryukyu 10 (-1)
10. MIO Biwako Kusatsu 10 (-2)
11. V Varen Nagasaki* 9 (-)
12. Zweigen Kanazawa 8 (+1)
13. Matsumoto Yamaga* 8 (-8)
14. Honda Lock 7 (-5)
15. Arte Takasaki 7 (-5)
16. Tochigi UVA 7 (-11)
17. Ryutsu Keizai University 5 (-9)
18. JEF Reserves 2 (-14)

* indicates J-League associate member and thus potentially eligible for promotion

With Japan heading into the Golden Week holiday, there are some large crowds expected at tomorrow's full round of J1 matches. The pick of the bunch is first against third, as current leaders Shimizu S-Pulse host Urawa Reds; just last week, S-Pulse rather luckily won at home to Urawa's neighbours Omiya Ardija and Urawa took a tumble from top spot on account of their shock defeat at home to S-Pulse's neighbours Jubilo Iwata. Does that make any kind of sense? I think so. OK. Anyway, there's another big game at Kashima Antlers, as Oswaldo Oliveira's side try to end a downturn in league results against Gamba Osaka.

Lower down the table, Omiya coach Jang Wae Ryong resigned in midweek and was immediately replaced by well-regarded ex-Albirex Niigata and Montedio Yamagata boss Jun Suzuki. Ardija, without a win since the opening day of the season and firmly ensconced in the relegation battle, desperately need a confidence-boosting win in Suzuki's first match in charge at home to another struggling side, Kyoto Sanga. Alongside Omiya in the bottom three are Albirex and Vissel Kobe, who meet in an early season six-pointer, while Shonan Bellmare have a local derby against fellow Kanagawa-ites Kawasaki Frontale.

Three points clear at the top of J2, Kashiwa Reysol are at home to an Ehime FC side currently rising up the standings on the back of a surprisingly good run of form, and second-placed JEF United have a tough-looking trip to Oita Trinita. That's a fixture which could enable Ventforet Kofu to emerge as Reysol's nearest challengers if they can beat Yokohama FC. Over the long weekend and into next week is another round of JFL matches, with leaders Machida Zaelvia at home to Okinawa's FC Ryukyu and Gainare Tottori having an interesting-looking game against the unpredictable Blaublitz Akita.

Three minutes into injury time at the end of their game on Saturday afternoon, Shimizu S-Pulse's veteran Norwegian forward Frode Johnsen stole in at the far post to send a header looping back over Urawa Reds keeper Norihiro Yamagishi and into the net. A 2-1 win in front of a crowd of 35,000 people meant that Shimizu remain two points clear at the top of J1, and their 21 points from an unbeaten after nine games constitutes a record best start by any club since the division took on its current format in 2005. All in all, then, the Golden Week holiday has started well for the Shizuoka Oranges.

That said, all of their nearest challengers picked up maximum points, although Kawasaki Frontale were twice behind to Shonan Bellmare in the Kanagawa derby before eventually running out 4-2 winners; Nagoya Grampus and Kashima Antlers remain best-placed to pounce should S-Pulse slip up in the midweek match. At the bottom, Vissel Kobe disastrously lost at home to Albirex Niigata to drop to last place, while Omiya Ardija's first game under new coach Jun Suzuki ended in a crucial victory for the Squirrels, 2-1 over fellow strugglers Kyoto Sanga.

The three teams setting the pace in J2 also all won, Kashiwa Reysol seeing off a stubborn Ehime FC and JEF United doing well to triumph at Oita Trinita, but there's no doubting the game of the round, which came at Yokohama FC. Ignoring the recent fine form of visitors Ventforet Kofu, the home side roared into a 3-0 lead inside the first twenty minutes, but Kofu slowly pulled themselves back into the match via goals from Paulinho and Mike Havenaar. Even so, Ventforet were still heading for defeat until two further goals injury time secured an incredible 4-3 win.



Unsurprisingly exultant Ventforet Kofu players and supporters

J1 Scores & Standings @ Round 9/34

Hiroshima 2-1 FC Tokyo
Kashima 2-1 Gamba
Kawasaki 4-2 Shonan
Kobe 1-2 Niigata
Marinos 1-0 Jubilo
Nagoya 2-1 Yamagata
Omiya 2-1 Kyoto
S-Pulse 2-1 Urawa
Sendai 1-1 Cerezo

1. S-Pulse 21 (+11)
2. Nagoya 19 (+7)
3. Kawasaki 19 (+4)
----------------
4. Kashima 18 (+7)
- - - - - - - - - -
5. Urawa 16 (+4)
6. Hiroshima 15 (+1)
7. Marinos 14 (+5)
8. Sendai 11 (-3)
9. Yamagata 11 (-3)
10. Gamba 10 (+1)
11. Cerezo 10 (-2)
12. FC Tokyo 9 (-2)
13. Jubilo 9 (-3)
14. Omiya 8 (-4)
15. Niigata 8 (-4)
----------------
16. Kyoto 8 (-6)
17. Shonan 8 (-6)
18. Kobe 7 (-7)

J2 Scores & Standings @ Round 9/36

Gifu 2-1 Kusatsu
Kashiwa 1-0 Ehime
Kumamoto 0-0 Sapporo
Oita 0-2 JEF
Okayama 0-0 Kitakyushu
Tochigi 2-0 Tokushima
Toyama 0-0 Mito
Verdy 1-1 Tosu
Yokohama FC 3-4 Kofu

Bye: Fukuoka

1. Kashiwa 23 (+10)
2. JEF 20 (+11)
3. Kofu 19 (+8)
-----------------
4. Oita 16 (+3)
5. Tokushima 16 (+1)
6. Kumamoto 16 (+1)
7. Gifu 15 (+1)
8. Tosu 15 (+1)
9. Ehime 14 (+2)
10. Tochigi 13 (+4)
11. Mito 13 (-3)
12. Yokohama 12 (-3)
13. Okayama 11 (-3)
14. Fukuoka 10 (+4)
15. Sapporo 9 (-7)
16. Verdy 8 (-1)
17. Kusatsu 7 (-8)
18. Kitakyushu 7 (-8)
19. Toyama 7 (-13)

There's a full set of both J1 and J2 games taking place on holiday Wednesday this week, the J1 sides jockeying for position ahead of the long World Cup break that starts in a couple of weeks' time. Following their injury time defeat of Urawa Reds, pacesetters Shimizu S-Pulse go to a Kyoto Sanga side who have slipped into the relegation zone. Reds meanwhile will have to beat second-placed Nagoya Grampus - complete with ex-Urawa hero Marcus Tulio Tanaka - if they are to bounce back immediately, the other stand-out fixture being between Asian Champions League participants Gamba Osaka against Kawasaki Frontale.

In J2, Nelsinho's Kashiwa Reysol team are looking very well equipped to make an immediate return to the top division, but the Sun Kings will have their stiffest test of the season so far as they visit Ventforet Kofu, whose sensational 4-3 comeback over Yokohama FC at the weekend was a fifth consecutive win. Kashiwa's local rivals JEF United ought to be able to keep up the pressure on their neighbours with a winnable home fixture against lowly Kataller Toyama, while down at the bottom there's a vital scrap for points between Thespa Kusatsu and J-League newcomers Giravanz Kitakyushu.

Round nine of the JFL season has been spread over the long holiday weekend and there are now new leaders in the shape of Gainare Tottori. Former J-League striker Yutaro Abe was on target for the sixth time this year in a 2-0 win over Blaublitz Akita that sees Gainare overtake Machide Zelvia, who tumbled to a surprise defeat at home to improving FC Ryukyu. The other J-League associate members both won - V Varen Nagasaki at Sony Sendai and Matsumoto Yamaga at home to Ryutsu Keizai University - and are among a large group of teams bunched together around mid-table.



Gainare goal hero Yutaro Abe

JFL Scores & Standings @ Round 9/34

Gainare Tottori 2-0 Blaublitz Akita
Honda FC 2-1 Sagawa Printing
Machida Zelvia 1-2 FC Ryukyu
Matsumoto Yamaga 2-1 Ryutsu Keizai University
Sagawa Shiga 2-2 JEF Reserves
Sony Sendai 2-3 V Varen Nagasaki
Tochigi UVA 2-1 Arte Takasaki
Yokogawa Musashino 1-0 MIO Biwako Kusatsu
Zweigen Kanazawa 0-0 Honda Lock

1. Gainare Tottori* 23 (+14)
2. Machida Zelvia* 22 (+15)
3. Sagawa Shiga 17 (+11)
4. Yokogawa Musashino 16 (+4)
- - - - - - - - - -
5. Honda FC 16 (-2)
6. Sagawa Printing 16 (+5)
7. FC Ryukyu 13 (-)
8. V Varen Nagasaki* 12 (+1)
9. Sony Sendai 12 (+1)
10. Blaublitz Akita 11 (+5)
11. Matsumoto Yamaga* 11 (-7)
12. MIO Biwako Kusatsu 10 (-3)
13. Tochigi UVA 10 (-10)
14. Zweigen Kanazawa 9 (+1)
15. Honda Lock 8 (-5)
16. Arte Takasaki 7 (-6)
17. Ryutsu Keizai University 5 (-10)
18. JEF Reserves 3 (-14)

* indicates J-League associate member and thus potentially eligible for promotion