March 6, 2010
Quick on the Draw
The 2010 J.League season kicked off on Saturday afternoon, and it sure didnt take long for the fireworks to begin. The players seemed unusually eager to get the season underway, and in stadium after stadium, fans were barely able to settle into their seats before the first goal of the afternoon was tallied. Unfortunately, chilly rain greeted most of the teams that played on Saturday, and the slippery conditions may have helped to keep the scores of most matches down. Nevertheless, it was a very engaging start to this year's J1 title campaign. So lets get right down to business with a look a the scores from Saturday's matches:
| Date | Home | . | Visitor | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar-6 | Shonan Bellmare | 1 - 1 | Montedio Yamagata | Hiratsuka Stadium |
| Mar-6 | Jubilo Iwata | 0 - 1 | Vegalta Sendai | Iwata (Yamaha) Stadium |
| Mar-6 | FC Tokyo | 1 - 0 | Yokohama Marinos | Ajinomoto Stadium |
| Mar-6 | Sanfrecce Hiroshima | 1 - 1 | Shimizu S-Pulse | Hiroshima Big Arch |
| Mar-6 | Kashima Antlers | 2 - 0 | Urawa Reds | Kashima Stadium |
| Mar-6 | Kawasaki Frontale | 2 - 1 | Albirex Niigata | Todoroki Stadium |
| Mar-6 | Gamba Osaka | 1 - 2 | Nagoya Grampus | Expo'70 ("Banpaku") Stadium |
| Mar-7 | Vissel Kobe | 2 - 0 | Kyoto Sanga | Kobe Wing Stadium |
| Mar-7 | Omiya Ardija | 3 - 0 | Cerezo Osaka | Omiya Park Stadium |
0 - 1 
The 2010 season kicked off with an opening tap at Iwata Stadium, in Shizuoka, where Jubilo Iwata played host to newly promoted Vegalta Sendai. Last season Jubilo opened the season in very similar circumstances, at home against another recently promoted club from northern Japan - Montedio Yamagata. More than a few people have commented on this coincidence, and if the people who made up the league schedule intended it as an omen, they certainly did their job well.
Sendai needed barely a minute to get the season off to a rolicking start. After one or two long balls to break the ice, Sendai won a throw-in on the right side, and the throw cleared the Jubilo back line, sending Yuki Nakashima galloping into space behind the defence. Whipping the ball into the box, he met team captain Ryan Yong-gi with a bounding cross, and the North Korean international drove the ball low, off the keeper's fingertips and into the left side of the net.
Following this opening lapse. Jubilo began to establish their control of possession, and for the remainder of the contest they had the far greater share of the scoring opportunities. But despite a fairly dominant share of posession, Jubilo continued to face danger as Sendai repeatedly counterattacked with pace and directness. These quick probing runs forced the Jubilo defenders to remain deep in the formation, and think twice about pressing forward to support the attack. The Sendai players clearly understood the importance of starting off their season with a victory, and their dogged defending kept Jubilo at bay over the full 90 minutes. When the final whistle sounded, the Golden Eagles of Tohoku had revenged their loss in the promotion/relegation series two years ago, and claimed an important first victory to start the season
|
0
1 - 1 
In Hiratsuka, another newly promoted team dashed out of the starting gate with a rush of offence, but were eventually pegged back by visiting Montedio Yamagata, who will likely be one of the Sea Kings' main rivals in this year's relegation battle. Bellmare needed just 19 minutes to get their season off to a positive start. Following a set play, Montedio cleared the ball up the right side, but failed to maintain possession. Tatsunori Arai snatched up the ball and fed it back down the wing, to the cluster of Shonan players that had lingered around the box, while the defenders tried desperately to backpedal. Taking advantage of the lack of pressure, Sakamoto fired a shot that the keeper just barely managed to deflect . . . right onto the boots of defensive veteran Jean Carlo Witte. The opportunistic defender poked the rebound into the net and Bellmare had their first J1 goal in over a decade.
As half time approached, however, Yamagata got a huge break as Tatsuya Furuhashi tried to whip in a cross from the lewft corner, keeper Nozawa punched the ball away, and hit his teammate Tahara right in the shin with the deflection. The ball bounded across the goal line before either of them could react to push it out, and the score was deadlocked as the two teams took their recess.
As the second half wore on, Shonan began to establish control of possession, and Jean frequently pushed forward into the attack to take advantage of the relatively smaller Montedio central defenders. But Montedio responded by putting striker Yu Hasegawa on the tall Brazilian regardless of where he went on the pitch, creating an unusual scene as the two jostled shoulder to shoulder in first one penalty box and then the other. On the whole, the home team claimed the more dangerous opportunities, but neither team was able to find the net in a tightly contested second half. As two teams that are viewed as potential relegation candidates this season, every point they can collect this season will be critical. Thus, both teams seemed to be reasonably happy to settle for a single point each.
|
1
1 - 1 
Sanfrecce Hiroshima is another team that was quick out of the blocks on opening day. The Purple Archers of Chugoku needed only three minutes to open their account for 2010, after Yojiro Takahagi drove into the S-Pulse penalty box and was upended by keeper Yohei Nishibe. Most of the time, spot kickers have a rather simple job to perform, but the Sanfrecce players apparently enjoy doing things differently, so they orchestrated a "trick play" that had Nishibe shaking his head in disbelief. Tomoaki Makino took the ball from the referee, set it down on the spot, and then strolled away from it, mumbling to himself and trying to compose his face, as if he was psyching himself up for the kick. But suddenly Hisato Sato bolted out of the line at the top of the penalty box and drilled a shot into the low left corner. The S-Pulse keeper was completely fooled, and could only watch the ball roll past him.
Sanfrecce continued to control the contest for most of the opening period, though their actual scoring chances were rather limited. As was the case in their ACL match, last week, the team seemed to lack an organizing influence in midfield, so despite some good buildup play, they were unable to really get off any dangerous shots. However, S-Pulse seemed even more out of sorts. The two strikers, in particular, failed to trouble Hiroshima's defence at all during the first half. Shinji Okazaki, who played a full 90 minutes of international football in the NT match against Bahrain, on Wednesday, looked sluggish and confused, unable to link up with his teammates. Veteran Frode Johnsen was also unimpressive, and it was left to the midfield - particularly Hyodo, Fujimoto and Shinji Ono - to create most of the offence.
In the second half, however, the momentum started to shift, and as the afternoon wore on S-Pulse bit by bit began to take control of the contest. By the hour mark, the run of play seemed to bemoving in one direction only. However, the Purple Archers clung to their narrow lead with a dogged determination that could not be broken down by the blunt instrument that was the S-Pulse attacking unit. A change of personnel up front was clearly needed, but coach Hasegawa hesitated to pull the trigger. It wasnt until ten minutes before the final whistle that he finally brought on Genki Omae, as a third striker. The substitution was none too soon, it turned out, because as the clock moved into injury time S-Pulse won a free kick on the right sideline, level with the top of the box, and it was Omae who rose in the middle of the pack to head it home, for his first J.League goal.
|
1
1 - 0 
The clash between FC Tokyo and Yokohama Marinos was not especially pretty, as neither team managed to develop much of a rhythm. However, despite a general lack of scoring opportunities, the contest was extremely intense and hard fought at both ends, with a lot of physical contact and hard running on the sloppy Ajinomoto Stadium pitch. After almost 60 minutes of scoreless and uneventful football, FC Tokyo began to increase the pressure somewhat by bringing midfielder Yohei Kajiyama on for Naotake Hanyu, to organize the attack. Though Kajiyama is still not fully recovered from injury, is presence intensified the offensive pressure somewhat, and created a string of half-chances over the next ten minutes. Coach Kimura responded by bringing on more pace of his own, by substituting Daisuke Sakata for Kenta Kano. This breifly seemed to turn the tide, but five minutes later coach Jofuku responded in kind, bringing on Naohiro Ishikawa as a roaming wing. Both teams seemed to recognise that the match would be decided by a lone goal, and they began taking calculated chances to try to claim the critical tally.
As the clock moved into injury time Tokyo broke out on a sudden counterattack, and as the clearance pass looped forward to Toshihiro Matsushita, the veteran midfielder chested it down and fed it out to Ishikawa, who was starting to accelerate down the right wing. The FC Tokyo sppedster turned on the afterburners and charged past two Marinos players, stretched the defence toards the right edge of the box, and then slid the ball back across to Hirayama at the last possible second. Hirayama fired just inside the left post, and the crowd inside Ajinomoto Stadium exploded in celebration. The Tokyo Tanuki had a narrow victory, and the best possible start to their season.
|
1
2 - 1 
Kawasaki Frontale opened their 2010 campaign in front of a huge home crowd at Todoroki Stadium, and they certainly didnt waste any time getting their season off to a roaring offensive start. Just a minute after the opening kick, a flowing exchange of passes down the right channel demolished the left side of the Albirex defence, and Masaru Kurotsu took the ball towards the right post, firing a shot that was just deflected clear by a lunging Albirex defender. The ball looped out to Renatinho at the top of the box, and the nimble Brazilian collected it on his chest while sizing up the opportunities. As his defender froze, he let it drop, flicked it into space with his knee, and then lashed a right boot at it, sending the ball on a swerving course into the top right corner.
As their initial surge seemed to be on the verge of cresting, and starting to recede, Frontale also got a bit of assistance from the men in black. In the 15 minute Kisho Yano leapt high to meet a cross from the right wing, and powered a header into the back of the Kawasaki net, only to be flagged offside on what looked like a very dodgy late call. The Blue Dolphins quickly took advantage of the respite. In the 22 minute, Junichi Inamoto suddenly stepped up and snatched a weak pass at midfield, and took off upfield on a surging run. After carrying the ball about 20 meters and calmly assessing the options, he fed a pass to Kurotsu surging down the right channel, and the young striker hooked his shot around the keeper, into the left side netting.
Albirex came out of the locker room with their game faces on and a real determination to pull at least one goal back immediately. This produced a series of dangerous opportunities, including two free kicks and six corner kicks in just a short spell, that very nearly succeeded in the objective. Only some excellent saves from keeper Eiji Kawashima (and another very questionable offside call from the linesman) kept the Mighty Swans scoreless over this opening stretch.
When the Albirex goal finally arrived, though, it was the result of a very sudden counterattack that sent Cho Yong-Chol behind the Frontale back line in a sudden burst of speed. This time, though it looked a lot closer than either of the two previous calls, the linesman kept his flag down. Cho charged down the right channel and drilled a low, hard shot that Kawashima managed to get his fingertips to, but could not keep out of the net.
Suddenly, the aggressive and offense-oriented team that had dominated most of the first half seemed to slough away like the dried skin of a moulting insect, and what emerged was a fragile, hesitant and totally ineffective group of pretenders, whose main focus seemed to be just to cling stubbornly to their narrow lead and hope that time would run out on the hard-charging visitors. Of course it ie early in the season, and it is important to keep in mind that key players like Juninho and Kengo Nakamura are recuperating from injuries, leaving the offence with only half of its usual weaponry. But that does not alter the perception that Frontale are amentally ahd empotionally frail team, capable of dominant play one minute, and a paroxysm of sudden panic the next. If not for the impressive steadying presence of Kawashima in goal, one wonders if they could have held out against the Mighty Swans' second-half charge.
But Albirex couldnt quite finish off the chances, and that was how the contest ended - with Kawasaki claiming an important home win to kick off their 2010 campaign.
|
2
2 - 0 
The Kashima Antlers have already played two competitive matches this season, and several of their key players have been playing regularly since early February, in National Team matches. Thus, it probably should not have come as a surprise when they got off the mark more quickly than the Reds, when the two teams faced off at Kashima Stadium on Saturday afternoon. It took less than five minutes for Mitsuo Ogasawara to find space on the left sideline and then curl a cross behind the Urawa defence that met Shinzo Koroki slicing towards the near post. Koroki met the ball on the short hop and flicked it past the keeper, giving the hosts an early advantage.
But the Reds are a younger, more energetic and hungrier team this year than they have been since the Guido Era, and they responded to the opening tally with a great deal of energetic offensive pressure. There were dangerous hints that they might be overextending themselves, creating opportunities for the Antlers on the counterattack. But they succeeded in taking the offensive initiative and started to create scoring opportunities for themselves through the bullish running of Sergio Escudero, the silky speed of Edmilson and the impressive athleticism and creativity of incoming field general, Yosuke Kashiwagi.
The longer the match wore on, however, the more impressive the patient composure of the three-time champions became. Though Urawa's youngsters worked hard, and managed to create a number of half-chances, nothing that the Reds tried to throw at them seemed to ruffle that calm focus; instead, they soaked up pressure, collected the ball, and patiently probed the opposing defence for openings. The visitors played an impressive match apart from the breif lapses that produced Kashima goals, looked quite solid at the back, and showed tremendous hunger on the attack. But for all their efforts, they were only able to really trouble Hitoshi Sogahata on about three occasions over the 90 minutes.
With about ten minutes left Kashima brought on young Endo, who has been described as the heir presumptive to the mantle of midfielders like Motoyama and Ogasawara. The clever-footed dribbler has already had a few chances to show his skills in the ACL and Xerox Cup matches, and as the contest moved towards the 90 minute mark he picked up his first assist of the season with a sparkling dash around the left flank and a delicate cross for Marquinhos, camped out at the penalty spot. Marquinhos merely had to pick his spot and nod the ball past the keeper to put the cap on a comfortable 2-0 victory.
|
2
2 - 1 
Although the afternoon contest between Kashima and Urawa was carried live on NHK's main terrestrial channel, the true "highlight" match of the first weekend was the clash between Gamba Osaka and Nagoya Grampus, two teams that are widely tipped to be in the thick of the title chase this season. Though crowds in Kansai tend to be a bit smaller and considerably less raucous than those at a Reds-Antlers affair, the two teams involved more than made up for this lack of "atmosphere" by delivering the most attractive, engaging and closeluy contested football of the weekend.
The opening goal came somewhat against the run of play, after Gamba had set the pace for the first few minutes. In the 15 minute, though, Nagoya newcomer Mu Kanazaki made a weaving run through the left channel and then chipped a ball for the towering target of Josh Kennedy, at the far post. Kennedy fought off his defender and headed the ball down in front of net, and Keiji Tamada reacted well to pop the ball past Fujigaya and put Nagoya in the early lead. Gamba battled back immediately, creating a sequence of corner kicks which finally hit the jackpot in the 21 minute, when the initial kick was deflected out to Takahiro Futagawa about five meters outside the penalty area, and the veteran strode in to send a sizzling shot into the top right corner.
This was just the appetizer in what would be a full-course feast for fans. Play swung back and forth at an exhausting pace, as each team demonstrated the crisp precision and pace of its attacking unit (and from a more cynical perspective, both teams revealed a degree of defensive laxity and uncertainty that allowed the opponent to move the ball quickly and directly from one penalty box to the other almost at will. On both ends, it was rare to see the defence put any real pressure on the ball until it reached the final attacking third of the pitch. It was great fun to watch, but it is unlikely to please the coaches as they watch game films later in the week.
Not surprisingly, both teams were informed of their shortcomings during the break, and came out of the locker room with a much more direct approach to pressuring the ball. But while this made it a bit more difficult for players to carry the ball up and down the pitch for 60 meters or more without encountering a challenge, it didnt eliminate the scoring opportunities completely. In response to the tighter marking, both teams went to their bench for attacking players who would add a slightly different dimension - Gamba brought on the speedy Hayato Sasaki to probe the Nagoya flanks, and Grampus inserted the burly former Consadole ace Danilson to provide more power and ball control in the centre of the pitch. It was the Red Whales who got the first break.
In the 67 minute, Kazumichi Takagi provided a good example of the indecisive streak which kept him out of the lineup most of last year. As Keiji Tamada chased an inlet pass from Magnum Tavares, Takagi stepped between him and the ball, and spread his arms to ensure that Tamada was screened. But in doing so, he took his eye off the ball, and as it rolled off to his right, Tamada was able to lunge and poke it into space. With Takagi trailing helplessly in his wake, Tamada charged after the ball, popped it in front of the net, and the ever-opportunistic Kennedy poked the ball home. This seemed to take the wind out of the Gamba players, and the slight drop in intensity that was apparent in the first few minutes after the break became even more pronounced, giving the visitors almost complete command of the run of play over the next ten minutes or so.
With time running down, however, they gathered themselves and made a concerted push in search of the equaliser. Between the 80 minute and the close of regulation time, the Osaka Boys created a great deal of pressure, and some of their best scoring opportunities of the second half. But Futagawa's drive from the top of the penalty arc came back off the base of the left post, and a shot from a similar spot by Shoki Hirai went narrowly wide. With a sigh of relieve, the Grampus players tightened up their formation and focused on holding up the ball until time expired. An anticlimactic five minutes later, the final whistle sounded and the Red Whales collected their first three points of the season.
|
1
3 - 0 
Omiya Ardija entered this contest with a great deal of emotional energy and intensity, stemming from a tragic bit of news that shook the team's training camp just two weeks ago. Defender Taishi Tsukamoto, who has been with the team for 3 years, went into the hospital after experiencing repeated pain above his knee. After a barrage of tests the doctors gave him the shocking news that he had bone cancer in his thigh bone, and could have to begin chemotherapy treatments immediately. Naturally this had an emptional impact on his teammates, as well, and they came together over the past week to dedicate their efforts over this season to their fallen comrade.
This intensity was clearly visible in the team's play over the early minutes of their season opener against Cerezo Osaka. Omiya got the scoring started just 13 minutes in, after an unsuccessful free kick was turned over the end line to produce a corner kick. On the second set play Hayato Hashimoto fired a low, hard ball right across the face of goal, and the Cerezo keeper failed to get into the play. As the ball rocketed past, Mato Neterlijak seemed to get the lightest of touches with his forehead, and sent the ball caroming off the far post and into the net. However, the official scorers ruled that the ball was never touched, and awarded the goal to Hashimoto.
The Mighty Squirrels nearly doubled the advantage moments later, on another corner kick, but the Cerezo defenders managed to scramble the ball off thge line and keep the deficit to a single goal. But as halftime approached, Rafael made a nice cutback play in the right corner, pulling the ball away from one Cerexo player and then slipping past a second before firing the ball low across the face of goal. Ishikawa side-footed the ball past the keeper from close range, and Ardija had a two goal lead to take into the locker room.
In the second half, Cerezo made a number of adjustments looking for some way of altering the flow of momentum, but hard taclking and hard running by the Ardija players kept them on the mack foot most of the time. While the clever dribbling skills of Shinji Kagawa and Takashi Inui produced a few nervous moments, for the most part Omiya were able to maintain control of the contest and even threaten to extend their lead. With time running down, Arata Sugiyama won a free kick about ten meters outside the penalty area, and Mato drove a thunderous free kick off the crossbar. Rafael was lurking in the penalty area, and he volleyed the rebound back on net, just beating the keeper and putting the contest out of reach.
|
3
2 - 0 
The Kansai Derby clash between Vissel Kobe and Kyoto Sanga was the only contest of the weekend to be played on a completely dry pitch - not a reflection of the weather outside, but rather a consequence of Kobe Wing Stadium's retractable roof. So even though both teams are better known for their defensive qualities than scoring, the field conditions permitted quite a bit more fluidity and technical crispness than was the norm on opening weekend. From the opening kick, both teams moved the ball around with swift efficiency, creating a number of good scoring opportunities.
In Yoshito Okubo's absence, Hiroto Mogi and Yoshida shouldered the burden of finishing off Vissel's attacks, and over the opening 10 minutes both got off dangerous shots. On the other end, Kyoto made much more incisive use of the wings than they did last season, particularly on the left, where the return of veteran Shingo Suzuki after a long sojourn in Kyushu has given the Purple Birds a dimension that they generally lacked in 2009. After a flurry of ofense at both ends for the opening 15 minutes, though, the teams seemed to settle into their defensive patterns and the rhythm of play settled down to a more deliberate pace
The opening goal was created by a quick throw-in that Sanga did not defend effectively. A quick ball down the left flank was turned towards the box by Yoshida and newcomer Adilson "Popo" de Souza picked it up as he drifted across the top of the box. A quick shot beat Mizutani into the left corner, bounded off the base of the post, and the ball trickled across the goal line.
Shortly after the break, the Crimson Tide began to roll in, with Popo extending the lead to 2-0 after finishing off a 3-on-1 galloping counterattack. Kyoto never managed to get untracked, and Vissel rolled to a comfortable 2-0 victory.
|
2
