There were big results in both MEIJI YASUDA J1 100 YEAR VISION LEAGUE tables as REGIONAL ROUND Match Week 15 took place on Wednesday, with Kashima Antlers and Nagoya Grampus ending the day atop their respective groups.
Kashima extended their lead in the East to five points after claiming a comfortable 3-0 win at home to Mito Hollyhock, while Nagoya climbed into first place in the West courtesy of a 2-1 victory against Gamba Osaka.
All three goals at Mercari Stadium came in the second half, as Kashima’s Shu Morooka and Leo Ceara both scored with headers in the 58th and 71st minutes, before Leo Ceara fired in again in the 79th minute.
FC TOKYO are still in second place, but remain on 32 points after they were defeated 3-0 by JEF United Chiba.
Carlinhos Junior opened the scoring for Chiba when he swept in after just six minutes at Ajinomoto Stadium, with Makoto Himeno bundling in to double the visitors’ advantage in the 73rd minute and Masaru Hidaka adding the gloss with a sensational free-kick with 11 minutes remaining.
Meanwhile in the West, Sho Inagaki put Nagoya in the driving seat with a terrific finish from distance after eight minutes, and Yudai Kimura made it 2-0 with a 32nd-minute header.
Rin Mito pulled one back for G-Osaka when he tucked in a rebound in the fifth minute of second half stoppage time, but it was too little too late to prevent Nagoya leapfrogging Vissel Kobe to the summit on goals scored.
Kobe were also victorious, but needed a penalty shoot-out to overcome Sanfrecce Hiroshima after a 1-1 draw at EDION PEACE WING HIROSHIMA.
Mutsuki Kato put Hiroshima ahead with a header two minutes before half-time, but Ren Komatsu equalised with a low finish in the 63rd minute to send the game to a shootout.
Hiroshima’s Kosuke Kinoshita was the only player to miss from 12 yards, allowing Kobe to pick up two points with a 5-4 win.
The games between Shimizu S-Pulse and Cerezo Osaka and Avispa Fukuoka and Kyoto Sanga F.C. also needed penalties, after they, too, finished 1-1.
Matheus Bueno’s 90th-minute equaliser for Shimizu cancelled out Shunta Tanaka’s first-half opener for C-Osaka, with Shimizu triumphing 5-3 from the spot, while Kyoto’s Rafael Elias and Fukuoka’s Hanan Sani Brown were both on target before Avispa edged the shootout 5-4.
In the day’s other games, V-Varen Nagasaki beat Fagiano Okayama 2-1 - Yuto Iwasaki and Thiago Santana finding the net for Nagasaki, Werik Popo with Okayama’s reply - Erik and Shota Fujio’s second-half goals steered FC Machida Zelvia to a 2-0 win over Yokohama F･Marinos, Yasuto Wakizaka struck the only goal of the game as Kawasaki Frontale defeated Tokyo Verdy 1-0, and Ryoma Watanabe’s header secured Urawa Reds a 1-0 victory away to struggling Kashiwa Reysol.
Kashima Antlers vs Mito Hollyhock - Game Highlights | MW15
FC TOKYO vs JEF United Chiba - Game Highlights | MW15
Kashiwa Reysol vs Urawa Reds - Game Highlights | MW15
Kawasaki Frontale vs Tokyo Verdy - Game Highlights | MW15
FC Machida Zelvia vs Yokohama F•Marinos - Game Highlights | MW15
Nagoya Grampus vs Gamba Osaka - Game Highlights | MW15
Sanfrecce Hiroshima vs Vissel Kobe - Game Highlights | MW15
V-Varen Nagasaki vs Fagiano Okayama - Game Highlights | MW15
Avispa Fukuoka vs Kyoto Sanga F.C. - Game Highlights | MW15
Shimizu S-Pulse vs Cerezo Osaka - Game Highlights | MW15
