The topsy-turvy J1 season may be only three weeks old, but already it is clear that the pecking order has changed. Traditional powers are still seeking their first wins and teams with a history of mid-table anonymity are sitting on top of the heap.
On Saturday, two of the three teams that still boast perfect records met head-to-head, both nurturing ambitions to move up the league standings this season.
FC Tokyo can rest assured that they will finish higher than last year, since they were in the J2 last season. But Vissel Kobe also attracted great interest from neutrals, to see if they can match the preseason hype created by ambitious off-season acquisitions.
The Crimson Tide of Kobe picked up several midfield maestros this winter. The silky passing skills of players like Takuya Nozawa, Hideo Hashimoto, Masahiko Inoha and Takahito Soma have merged into a precise, effective passing game that earned them two early wins.
But FC Tokyo looks even more impressive; under the guidance of new coach Ranko Popovic they are playing a fast-paced style that is a joy just to watch. Midway through the first half the Capital City Coon-dogs opened the scoring on a typically energetic play – a flowing wave of Blue-and-Red attack swept over the Crimson Tide like a breaker on Bondi Beach.
Five players were involved as the ball swept through the right channel, across to the opposite sideline, then back into the left channel to Lucas Severino at the top of the penalty area. Lucas faked a shot and fed the ball across the face of goal, leaving the keeper stranded, and Naohiro Ishikawa met it at the right post, stabbing the ball through the wide-open back door.
The second-half was closely contested as Vissel pursued the equaliser and Tokyo adopted a defensive stance, seeking an insurance tally on the counterattack.
With five minutes remaining, Ariajasuru Hasegawa dashed after a ball in space and appeared to get to it just before defender Masahiko Inoha. The ball certainly ran in the direction that Hasegawa would have intended, but as the two players’ legs made contact and both went down.
Referee Yamamoto walked over and brandished a second yellow card at Hasegawa, reducing Tokyo to ten men. A proper referee probably would not even have blown his whistle, but Hasegawa took an early trip to the showers anyway.
Vissel poured forward seeking to exploit the advantage, but the Tokyo defence held. On the last play of the game, keeper Shuichi Gonda dashed off his line to snatch a high ball, and booted it downfield for Kazuma Watanabe, who raced off for a one-on one with keeper Kenta Tokushige.
As Tokushige lunged off his line, Watanabe fired the ball straight through Tokushige’s legs and as he raced behind goal to celebrate, Mr. Yamamoto blew the final whistle.
The other undefeated team, Vegalta Sendai, typically relies on hard physical play and a tight, uncompromising defence to keep the opposing half of the scoresheet empty, and a few opportunistic set plays to produce the lone goal of the match.
This week, though, The Golden Eagles showed that they have another, more attractive side. Omiya Ardija snatched an early goal on a corner kick that took several touches before Cho Young-chol drove it home.
Ardija then adopted just the sort of defensive strategy for which Vegalta is famous, and preserved the lead until half time. But coach Makoto Teguramori clearly issued new instructions in the locker room because Vegalta came out after the break with a far more aggressive style.
After one or two close calls, Vegalta claimed the equaliser in the 54 minute. Following a set play near midfield, Vegalta nodded the ball on from head to gold-shirted-head until it finally dropped in front of Yoshiaki Ota, dashing into the penalty area. Ota sent his first touch between the splayed legs of the Ardija keeper, restoring parity.
This goal shattered Omiya’s defensive concentration, and suddenly the home team was speeding like a gold-and-blue Ferrari on the freeway, in top gear. By the time Omiya’s Mighty Squirrels could gather their wits, they were nothing but roadkill.
Five minutes after the equaliser Shingo Akamine made a surging run around the right flank and fired a cross for Atsushi Yanagisawa, at the near post. Yanagisawa blasted it with his right boot and hit keeper Takuto Hayashi square in the face. The ball bounded off the keeper, off the knee of defender Kosuke Kikuchi, and into the back of the net.
The killing blow was struck in more typical Vegalta fashion, on a corner kick headed on net by Makoto Kakuda. Takashi Kitano managed to keep the ball out of his net, but Naoki Sugai was on hand to poke the rebound into the nylon strings.
Keisuke Ota, who started the deluge, finished off the rout with a thundering low-angle shot from the left side of the box. The victory carried the Golden Eagles into first place in the table, ahead of FC Tokyo on goal difference
Elsewhere, the nightmare continued for Gamba Osaka (1-2 losers at home to Jubilo) and Kashima Antlers (losing 2-0 away to Sanfrecce Hiroshima), but Kashiwa Reysol got their season back on track with a 2-1 comeback victory over Shimizu S-Pulse.
Urawa Reds conceded an early goal, but overcame newcomers Consadole Sapporo, and Nagoya Grampus survived a sluggish first half to overcome Albirex Niigata, 2-1.
Newly promoted Sagan Tosu won their first-ever J1 match 1-0 over Yokohama, the “loan” goal scored by Marinos loanee Kota Mizunuma.
Last and least, Cerezo Osaka beat Kawasaki Frontale 0-1 in a sloppy and largely uneventful match in Kawasaki.
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