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Third-place Yokohama F·Marinos and fourth-place Sagan Tosu are set for a thrilling midweek matchup, separated by just a point and in terrific form.Sagan have been a tremendous surprise so far in 2021. Fueled by an outstanding defense, they jumped up among the league leaders early on in the campaign and have not looked back, as a nearly impenetrable backline…

The return to MEIJI YASUDA J1 LEAGUE play in Kashima this weekend featured an unforgettable finish, courtesy of Antlers substitute Juan Alano.Having signaled for only five minutes of stoppage time, the referee gave Kashima Antlers one last chance to snag an equalizer against Vegalta Sendai when they won a corner at 90+7' after extended attacking pressu…

Kasper Junker has been the league’s best player since joining Urawa Reds in early May, and that continued in Matchweek 18 against Shonan Bellmare. The Danish striker bagged two more goals in the performance of the week as he turned in another sumptuous showing.Junker scored his first goal just nine minutes in with some opportunistic play, as a bouncing ball…

Andrés Iniesta’s 2021 campaign got off to a delayed start as he battled injury, but he finally made his debut in May and now he’s banging in goals to lead a surging Vissel Kobe.Iniesta began a special week with a starring performance in the second leg of the 2021 J.LEAGUE YBC Levain CUP Play-off Stage. The Spaniard spent much of the match dictating the pace…

J.LEAGUE has announced that it has reached an agreement with Sony Pictures Networks India on the broadcasting of the 2021 MEIJI YASUDA J１ LEAGUE.Live broadcasts of the MEIJI YASUDA J１ LEAGUE are scheduled to be available from Sec. 18 on June 19, on SONY TEN 2 (paid) and SonyLIV (OTT), in the following eight countries: India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Afghanistan…

Vissel Kobe are in sixth place in the MEIJI YASUDA J1 LEAGUE in large part because of their defense. Despite playing a style that can leave them vulnerable at times, they are allowing just one goal per game, and that’s owed not only to a stout backline but the tremendous play of goalkeeper Daiya Maekawa.Maekawa has been one of the league’s premier shot-stop…

Avispa Fukuoka arrived in the MEIJI YASUDA J1 LEAGUE like most newly promoted clubs - focused on staying in the top flight. But their goals have gotten much bigger than that nearly halfway through the campaign, with their eyes now focused on qualification for the AFC Champions League.The terrific play of the first-division newbies has seen them climb all th…

As the first-ever J.League player from Hong Kong, Au Yeung Yiu Chung, better known as Au Chung, has had a great deal more media attention than the average member of a Meiji Yasuda J3 League squad.J.League cameras were on hand to follow the biggest international star in the Japanese third tier from all angles as he got his Y. S. C . C. Yokohama career underw…

The Play-off Stage of the 2021 J.LEAGUE YBC Levain CUP is in the books, with four teams advancing to join the four 2021 AFC Champions League participants in the last eight.With Kawasaki Frontale, Gamba Osaka, Cerezo Osaka, and Nagoya Grampus already in the mix on the basis of qualifying for continental competition, let’s take a look at the four teams that h…

By Sean CarrollBoth the European Championship and Copa América get underway this weekend - tournaments at which some of the world’s best players will do battle to be crowned champions of their continents.Vissel Kobe’s Thomas Vermaelen is one of those who will be striving for glory having been called up for Belgium, one of the favourites to lift the European…

The Konami MVP awards for the month of May are in, and in the Meiji Yasuda J1 League, top honors go to Kasper Junker. The Dane joined Urawa Reds in early May and immediately poured in goals, scoring five goals in as many matches for the club. His outstanding goal scoring also helped move Urawa up the table, as the Reds went undefeated with him on the pitch.…

Shimizu S-Pulse 0, Kashima Antlers 1Kashima’s strong league play carried over to the cup in a crucial away victory to begin the Play-off Stage. Naoki Hayashi put Kashima in front after just eight minutes, coming free on a corner kick and burying a header from six yards out. Kashima nearly added to their lead not long after, but Kengo Nagai made a terrific s…

It's been a busy week for Au Yeung Yiu Chung, also known as Au Chung, who has officially become the first J.LEAGUE player from Hong Kong.Y. S. C . C. Yokohama fans got their first look at their new international star, as he was introduced to assembled media at the beginning of the week. Upon signing in April, Au Chung said: "As the first J.LEAGUE …

The MEIJI YASUDA J.LEAGUE fixtures to be broadcast on the J.LEAGUE International YouTube channel have been announced for the month of June.Supporters will encounter an action-packed calendar of live football, as mouthwatering matchups are beamed across the world. The pick of the group may well be a marquee matchup on June 13th featuring Andrés Iniesta'…

Kawasaki Frontale 2, Kashima Antlers 1Kashima played excellently and pushed Frontale to the brink, but the champions were too much. Leandro Damião scored his 12th goal of the season to tie for the league lead and put Frontale in front early on, but Ayase Ueda answered for Kashima and the visitors started to find some space for a potential winner late on. As…

Match to WatchKawasaki Frontale are still the undisputed top team in the MEIJI YASUDA J1 LEAGUE. The defending champions are 13 points clear at the top of the table and haven’t lost a match all season. Leandro Damião is second in the league with 11 goals, pacing an attack that has 17 more goals than the next closest team. Any critique of them comes with the…

Shonan Bellmare 1, Kawasaki Frontale 1Shonan Bellmare were on their way to a huge victory, and Kawasaki Frontale on the verge of suffering their first defeat of the season. A goal by Naoki Yamada had put the home side in front and had the defending champions on the brink, but then Leandro Damião came to Frontale’s rescue. The Brazilian collected a pass 12 y…

Match to WatchRicardo Rodriguez guided Tokushima Vortis to the MEIJI YASUDA J2 LEAGUE title a year ago, and that was enough to get the attention of Urawa Reds, who moved quickly to appoint him their new manager for the 2021 campaign. The Spaniard needed a little time to install his vision at Urawa, and some struggles early on in the season followed, but Rod…

Kawasaki Frontale 3, Yokohama FC 1The matchup of the league’s first place team hosting the league’s last place team went largely as expected. Frontale were dominant from the start and had themselves a lead within 20 minutes thanks to an Akihiro Ienaga penalty. Goals by Ao Tanaka and Kaoru Mitoma followed so even by the time Kléber got Yokohama on the board,…

Match to WatchKashima Antlers have not lost in 12 matches across all competitions, a run that has seen them average two goals per match and keep clean sheets in half of their contests. Quite simply, the attack and defense have both been spectacular, and their excellent play has seen them jump to sixth in the table.Kashima haven’t just beat up on the bottom …