There were a couple draws at the top of the table in Matchweek 7 and along with wins from below, that made for a tightening in the upper part of the table. It’s setting up for a terrific season of Meiji Yasuda J1 League football, so let’s check in on all the action from the weekend:
Vissel Kobe 0, Albirex Niigata 0
The Ushi kept their third straight clean sheet, but the Albi defense was equally good and shut down the dangerous Vissel attack to split the points in Kobe.
Nagoya Grampus 0, Urawa Reds 0
Nagoya had some good chances to win this game, but it was not to be as Urawa earned a tough away draw that kept Grampus two points back of Vissel at the top of the table.
Avispa Fukuoka 2, Kyoto Sanga 1
Patric gave Sanga a lead, but Avi stormed back late with goals by Lukian and Wellington to make it six in a row unbeaten - a streak that has taken them all the way up to third place and even on points with second place Nagoya.
Sanfrecce Hiroshima 1, Sagan Tosu 0
Douglas Vieira was the hero for the second week in a row, scoring in the 75th minute to break the deadlock and hand Sanfrecce a victory that has them even with Nagoya and Fukuoka on points.
Yokohama F·Marinos 5, Yokohama FC 0
Anderson Lopes and Élber each scored a pair and Marcos Júnior added one of his own as the Brazilian trio led the Tricolor to a dominant Yokohama Derby victory that has Marinos up to fifth place and just three points off the top.
F.C.Tokyo 2, Shonan Bellmare 2
Teruhito Nakagawa and Henrique Trevisan scored for the capital club, while Daiki Sugioka and Tarik Elyounoussi found the back of the net for Bellmare as the two sides played to a very entertaining draw.
Cerezo Osaka 2, Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo 3
Léo Ceará’s two goals were not enough for the Sakura, who wilted under the heat from Consa as Takuro Kaneko, Kim Gun-hee and Shunta Tanaka all found the back of the net to lift the visitors to victory.
Gamba Osaka 2, Kawasaki Frontale 0
Dawhan’s powerful header gave Gamba a lead, Juan Alano’s gorgeous curler doubled it, and a Shintaro Kurumaya red card reduced Frontale to 10 men as the Nerazzurri picked up their first win of the season in a great afternoon for the Gamba fans at Panasonic Stadium Suita.
Kashiwa Reysol 1, Kashima Antlers 0
Matheus Sávio cleverly fed Mao Hosoya’s perfectly timed run and the young striker buried his shot with one touch to score the only goal of the game as Reysol walked away with their first win of the season.
