July 28, 2010
The Late Show
Sorry for the long delay in posting these reports on the matches on Tuesday and Wednesday. Unfortunately, while we were able to watch most of the action from Week 15, other work commitments have prevented us from posting a full report until now. Anyway, here are the scores from Tuesday and Wednesday.
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3 - 2 
Cerezo Osaka has been a bit of a surprise package this year, and their run of success since the World Cup break - despite the loss of playmaker Shinji Kagawa to Europe - has lifted the team all the way to fourth place, and raised hopes among fans of the Flaming Pinks that their team may be capable of snatching an ACL berth (or at the very least, of finishing above local rivals Gamba Osaka).
The first serious test of those aspirations came on Tuesday evening, as the team travelled to Shizuoka to face Shimizu S-Pulse, who currently sit in second place. S-Pulse has not been playing particularly impressive football since the break, but that partly reflects the opposition they have faced. As last weekend's 3-3 draw with Nagoya Grampus showed, they certainly do not lack in scoring capability. And they wasted little time in showing off their offensive skills. Just 16 minutes in, Jungo Fujimoto picked up the ball at the top of the penalty arc and faced up against his defender, as if preparing to take him on and try his luck. But Akihiro Hyodo swung past on a cut from right to left, and as he crossed behind Fujimoto the playmaker fed a pass to the top of the box, giving Hyodo an open lane to shoot through. Though his blast was straight at the keeper, it had so much pace on it that he was unable to get his fists up in time, and the ball squeezed under the crossbar.
S-Pulse had several chances to extend the lead over the next 20 minutes, as Shinji Okazaki and Frode Johnsen repeatedly created space on the wings, but the second goal finally arrived on another heads-up play by Fujimoto. In the 35 minute S-Pulse broke away on a counterattack, and as soon as the ball went out to the wing, Fujimoto pointed behind the Cerezo defence and began sprinting through the middle. Takuya Honda spotted the same thing Fujimoto had, and released a lead pass before the last lingering Cerezo defender could race out of his own end and catch Honda offside. The ball dropped just above the penalty arc and took a high bounce, allowing Honda to rush in and flick a shot over the head of the outrushing keeper.
Shortly after the break the Wingheads combined for a third goal that shows what offense-minded teams like S-Pulse can do when all the players are relaxed, confident, and looking to set one up for their teammates. After Hyodo carried the ball down the left flank and send it in towards the top of the box, Fujimoto charged towards the near post but then flicked the ball on to Johnsen, rather than taking it himself. This drew two defenders deep into the box. Johnsen still had a man on him, and though he probably could have squeezed off a relatively dangerous shot, he instead pushed the ball back into the hole created by Fujimoto. Okazaki had no defenders within ten meters as he let fly from the edge of the box, and extended Shimizu's lead to 3-0.
Cerezo made a late run but it was too little, too late. Ten minutes from full time, Cerezo finally got on the scoreboard when Frode Johnsen headed an Osaka free kick past his own keeper. As time ran down, Cerezo won a free kick on the edge of the S-Pulse penalty area, and Martinez drove his kick around the wall and just inside the left post. However, that was the last play of the contest, and S-Pulse emerged with the victory.
Incidentally, this match was officiated by a "guest referee" - Mr. Stuart Atwell - who has been brought in along with his compatriot Anthony Taylor, supposedly to provide an example of "professionalism" to J.League referees. In reality, these two men have been selected in order to provide Japanese fans with a false (ie: highly negative) picture of European officials, hoping it will help ease the criticism of the domestic Men in Black. If either of those two gentlemen happen to read this article, I want to make sure they understand what is going on. You have been selected specifically because the J.League and EPL *EXPECT* you to screw up, look foolish. and convince Japanese fans that "J.League refs arent so bad after all". If you have any pride and common sense, you will thank your hosts for the experience and get off back to England as quickly as possible. All you are doing is damaging your reputations further, and earning enmity among a nation of football fans who might otherwise not even know you exist.
If anyone is surprised buy the above comments, and questions the suggestion that Mssrs. Atwell and Taylor were selected due to their LACK of quality, consider this article and this one, both published in the Guardian, just last year. It is quite apparent that the League is concerned by the criticism that its refs have come under, in recent months, and wants to try to quiet the complaints by bringing in even WORSE officials from Europe, in a thinly veiled effort to scare the critics into shutting up.
Well, Mr. Oohigashi, It worked. I get the point. Please, please, please, please. PLEASE dont assign Mr. Atwell or Mr. Taylor to any Ventforet Kofu matches. If you agree not to do so, I PROMISE I wont complain about the Fantastic Four, any more. OK? Is it a deal?
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3
2 - 2 
In Kashima, the Antlers once again showed some weakness and uncertainty in the defence which apparently reflects the loss of two starting members of the back line in the space of two weeks. Though they continued to look dangerous going forward, Albirex's dangerous counterattacking style, spearheaded by the ever-dangerous Marcio Richardes, earned the visitors a share of the points
The Mighty Swans pressed the ball very hard throughout the first half, and did not allow Kashima to create many dangerous scoring chances despite controlling a majority of the possession. This turned out to be a very successful strategy because it drew the Antlers forward and disrupted their rhythm. Though it required a bit of luck, Albirex took the lead seconds before the halftime break. As the Antlers were trying to push forward in numbers, Kisho Yano stepped into the passing lane and stope the ball deep in Kashima territory, starting a three-on-three break. While keeper Hitoshi Sogahata was still trying to analyze the positions of the three Niigata players and decide how to react, Yano fired off a long-distance shot, that bounced off a defender and dropped into the top left corner before Sogahata could scramble back to his line.
Shortly after the break, however, the Antlers equalised with a sparkling play that pulled the Albirex defence apart. It began with Mitsuo Ogasawara feeding a pass to Fellype Gabriel in the right corner. Fellype back-heeled the ball out to Toru Araiba, racing up the right flank, and Araiba pushed his first touch into the box, took the opposite fork in the path to dodge past the defender, and caught up to his own pass as it neared the end line. By this time the defenders had been scrambling about so wildly that Marquinhos was able to take up a position right at the penalty spot, totally unmarked. Araiba's cutback pass was headed into a vacant net, and the score was level.
Fifteen minutes later, the home team took the lead on a goal by Yuya Osako, who beat the offside trap and ran onto a pass from Masashi Motoyama, then tucked it past the keeper. But Albirex struck back almost immediately, as a chip over the top was deflected on its way past the defence, and dropped perfectly for Mikado. The Albirex midfielder quickly poked the ball past the keeper and the score was level again
The Antlers pressed forward looking for the winner, and dominated the final few minutes of play. But unlike their weekend match, they were unable to finish Niigata off, and the contest ended with the two teams sharing the spoils.
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2
1 - 1 
Sanfrecce Hiroshima made the trip north to Sendai on Tuesday after a run of extremely uneven results. Immediately after the World Cup break they were pummelled by Cerezo Osaka (though only after being reduced to ten men), and a few days later they did some pummelling of their own in a 3-0 rout of Yokohama Marinos. Last weekend they showed hits of both positive and negative aspects in a 1-0 win over Urawa Reds. While the defence held up pretty well against a less-than-formidable Reds attack, Sanfrecce couldnt find their rhythm on offence, and only a beautiful penetration run and shot by Tomoaki Makino eventually earned them the win. Therefore the big question on the minds of Purple Archer fans was which face the team would show in this week's contest.
Over the opening half hour it was the disappointing one. Vegalta Sendai - a team that has not managed a win in their last nine matches - managed to take the early lead. To make matters worse, Sanfrecce responded by trying to create sudden scoring opportunities for themselves rather than working the ball forward with patient pressure. Sendai's defenders do occasionally leave space in the corners, but they are quite speedy and very physical, chasing back hard to cut off the penetration. Sanfrecce's offensive flow in the first half consisted almost entirely of dashes into the corner, a breif tussle, and then a clearance over the sideline. By the time Sanfrecce took the subsequent throw-in, all ten Vegalta players would have had time to retreat into defence
In the second half, Sanfrecce began to show a bit more patience, working the ball forward carefully and creating a fair number of scoring chances. However, Vegalta tightened up the defence, playing two compact lines just above their penalty box, and denuing efforts by Sanfrecce to penetrate through the middle. Considering how long it has been since Vegalta had a win, it is hard to blame them for this effort to defend a lead. But they started playing deny-the-shot a bit too early, and eventually Sanfrecce's patient buildup created the equaliser, though with a little help from the hosts. Makino charged around the left flank and crossed for Hisato Sato, at the edge of the six yard box. Sato might have been able to stroke it home, but before it even arrived a Vegalta defender lunged in with an attempt to clear, and sent the ball into his own net.
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1
2 - 1 
Nagoya got the scoring started after just 17 minutes, on a set play that demonstrated the weakness of Shonan's defensive unit. Four Grampus players headed the ball around the box at will, and the Bellmare defenders seemed unable to do anything but watch as Masukawa, Danilson and finally Tulio played volleyball with their foreheads, and Tulio eventually nodded the ball into the back of the net. Thereafter Shonan managed to keep the Red Whales pretty much in check, but they couldnt get their own offense in gear, and as the first half ended, the home team seemed to be in control despite holding only a narrow lead.
The second half was not much different from the first. Bellmare tried to develop arhythm with short passes at midfield, but they were unable to seriously trouble keeper Seigo Narazaki. Nagoya, for their part, were content to sit back and look for chances to dash into the passing lanes and create a counterattack. In the 68 minute Danilson recorded his first goal in a Grampus uniform, firing off a long-distance shot that crept inside the left post.
Yutaka Tahara managed to pull a goal back in the 79 minute, collecting a long pass to the left of goal and then slamming a shot off Narazaki's hands from point-blank range. The keeper took most of the impetus off the shot but was unable to change the ball's trajectory enough to turn it away from the target, and it dropped across the line before he could recover. But the Lime Greens were unable to fight their way back into the contest. Though they faced a bit of pressure over the final xx minutes, Grampus held on and secured all three points
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2
1 - 1 
Taking advantage of the summer holidays, FC Tokyo held their midweek home match agains Jubilo at Tokyo's National Stadium, attracting a massive crowd of vacationers, students, and workers who slipped away from the office early to make the short trip to the centrally located venue. If the fans were a bit disappointed by the scoreless first half, they enjoyed a much more eventful second act. Tokyo needed just 2 minutes after the restart to open the scoring, on Masashi Oguro's first goal in a Tokyo uniform.
But Jubilo responded almost immediately, winning a free kick which Daisuke Nasu headed off the fingertips of the keeper. The ball blooped towards the right post, and though Matsushita tried to clear the ball off the line, he deflected it off his own shoulder and into the back netting.
Play swung back and forth as both teams created numerous scoring opportunities, but neither was able to finish off these opportunities. Tokyo, in particular, showed signs of its old bad habit - running at the opposition net so furiously that they lose control and concentration. In the end, the match ended with no more goals scored. However, as a spectacle - of both thrillingly aggressive play and agonizingly incompetent finishing - this was a great show for fans.
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1
１ - 1 
Yokohama rookie Yuji Ono - who just was elevated from the youth squad ten days ago and is already starting regularly - has impressed fans in his first few appearances. The youngster had a brilliant chance to score his first goal in the 35 minute of this match, charging after a deflected cross and tracking it down just inside the box with only one defender to beat. But Ono pulled his shot just wide of the far post. That would be the best chance of the first half for either team, and the half ended with no score.
The second half was not much different. Both teams had their chances but failed to make the connection in the final third of the pitch. The Mighty Squirrels - who have been struggling lately and badly needed the three points - pulled out all the stops as the match moved into the final ten minutes, and threw everyone forward into the attack, In the 8x minute, after a wild scramble from one side of the Marinos penalty area to the other and back again, Xxxxxx dropped the ball back to Rafael at the top of the box, and the Brazilian fed it to Murakami, charging down the left channel. Murakami met the pass with a left boot and sent it across the face of goal, and into the opposite corner. This sent the crowd at Omiya Park Stadium into wild celebrations.
But Omiya must have missed Yokohama's late rush against Gamba, last week, because they dropped their guard just a bit too soon. In the 88 minute Koji Yamase charged around the right flank, used a hesitation move to slip past Mato Neterlijak, and slid a pass to Ariajasuru Hasegawa at the penalty spot. Hasegawa side-footed the ball into the back netting, and snatched two valuable points away from the Squirrels
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1
1 - 3 
In Kobe, two teams that are currently struggling at midtable faced off in the Kansai Derby, and for the first time in years, neither one was in a position to claim bragging rights as the top team in Kansai - that position is currently held by Cerezo Osaka. Be that as it may, Gamba and Vissel always tend to take the intensity up a notch when they play one another, and this week's contest was no exception to the rule. Gamba got off the mark quickest, taking the lead after just 13 minutes when Usami ran onto a bounding ball at the edge of the Kobe box, strode past the flat-footed defenders and fired a shot into the roof of the net.
Immediately after the break, Gamba turned up the pressure and quickly scored the knockout, with two quick goals. The second goal was the most impressive of the lot, as Lee Keun-Oh looped a cross in for Hideo Hashimoto, and the midfielder met it on the volley with a left-footed roundhouse kick, driving it past the frozen keeper. Three minutes later, Shoki Hirai took a looping lead pass over his left shoulder and settled it just inside the area. Pulling up quickly, he let his defender stublmble past and then pulled the ball across the face of goal, into the low left corner.
Popo managed to pull a goal back for Kobe, midway through the second half, but Gamba brought on some more defensive substitutes and coasted to victory.
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1
0 - 4 
At Kyoto's Nishikyogoku Stadium, the Purple Gang played their first game under new coach Yutaka Akita, who took over the team a day earlier after Hisashi Kato finally got the boot. The team looked very inspired and a lot more dangerous on offense than they have in a very long time. The first half was fairly impressive, as Kyoto created the larger share of scoring opportunities and kept Urawa under wraps. Things were looking reasonably good for the home team, and Sanga came out in the second half looking to break out of their long slump.
However, just after the break the Reds took the lead on a goal that was guaranteed to break the hearts of fans and players alike. In the 53 minute a relatively harmless Reds attack was broken up byu the Sanga defence, and the ball bounded out towards Wilfried Sanou, at least 35 meters from goal. Sanou bet the ball on one bound and sent a powerful drive on net. A cluster of players in the penalty area screened the keeper and prevented him from spotting the ball until it was much too late. Sanou's blast snuck inside the right post, and despite all their hard work, Sanga found themselves playing catchup once again
Kyoto made a breif surge in search of the equaliser, but in the 63 minute, a long clearance bounded over the Kyoto back line, and sent the reds away on a three-on-three break. Edmilson slid the ball to Robson Ponte on in the right channel, and Ponte stroked a shot just inside the left post. This shattered any remaining hope that the home team might have had, nd things would get even worse a few minutes later. Keeper Hirai, who came out to clear a long Urawa pass at the edge of his box, and missed the ball entirely. As the ball bouncedgoalward, Edmilson jogged past Hirai, collected the loose ball and walked it into the empty net.
Young Tomoya Ugajin added one more nail in the coffin, in the 88 minute, and the Reds claimed a comprehensive 4-0 victory.
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0
0 - 0 
Last - and least - Yamagata and Kawasaki played to a scoreless draw in the rain, in Yamagata.
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0
