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Omiya Ardija goalkeeper Nobuhiro Kato is expected to miss the next eight weeks after tearing his right hamstring, the club announced earlier this week. The 31-year-old suffered the injury during the team’s YBC Levain Cup match against Yokohama F. Marinos on August 31. Kato has recorded five clean sheets in 19 MEIJI YASUDA J1 League appearances t…

Two MEIJI YASUDA J2 League matches postponed by April’s Kumamoto Earthquake were held on Wednesday, with all 22 clubs once again level in terms of games played. Yokohama FC beat Roasso Kumamoto 1-0 when Kensuke Sato scored in the 85th minute.  The Mitsuzawa Stadium residents have won five of their last six matches and are now in eighth plac…

The final four matches of the second round of the 96th Emperor’s Cup were played on Wednesday, with one J1 League meeting a shocking end to their campaign. Nejd Pecnik’s goal was enough to see Omiya Ardija past Gainare Tottori with a 1-0 score, while Vissel Kobe were rarely troubled in a 7-1 rout of Suzuka Unlimited FC. Yokohama F. Marinos…

Only the heroics of Thailand’s goalkeeper kept the scoreline respectable as Japan eased to a 2-0 win in 2018 World Cup qualifying on Tuesday. War Elephants custodian Kawin Thamsatchanan was heroic between the hosts’ posts as Vahid Halilhodzic’s men laid siege all night, racking up 11 shots on target by the end. Japan therefore racked…

Vahid Halilhodzic has urged Japan to turn over a new leaf in front of goal beginning from their 2018 World Cup qualifying clash with Thailand. The Samurai Blue travel to face the Southeast Asian giants at Rajamangala Stadium days after suffering an inauspicious 2-1 home loss to UAE at the start of their campaign. And while Halilhodzic blamed the refer…

Wins both large and narrow on Sunday propelled four teams into the semi-finals of the 2016 J.League YBC Levain Cup. At Mitsuzawa Stadium, Kayke’s goal on the verge of half-time gave Yokohama F. Marinos a 1-0 win over Omiya Ardija, allowing the hosts to advance on away goals with a 2-2 aggregate score. Urawa Reds left no question of their desire …

The majority of the second round of the Emperor’s Cup took place on Saturday, with three J1 League clubs suffering “giant killing” upsets by J3 League sides and others nearly suffering the same fate. Ventforet Kofu were the first top division team knocked out of the Cup when they lost 6-7 to Oita Trinita in penalty kicks.  The K…

Urawa Reds midfielder Tsukasa Umesaki has suffered damage to his anterior cruciate ligament, the club announced on Friday. The injury took place during the team’s 2-1 win at Vissel Kobe in the first leg of the 2016 J.League YBC Levain Cup quarter-final. An announcement regarding Umesaki’s required recovery time on his left knee will be mad…

Vahid Halilhodzic was resigned to defeat as he spoke to media on Thursday night following Japan’s 2-1 home loss to UAE in their 2018 FIFA World Cup AFC Final Qualifying opener. Ahmed Khalil struck twice from set-pieces after Keisuke Honda had opened the scoring, providing the Samurai Blue the worst possible start in their bid to appear in Russia. …

Ahmed Khalil shocked a sold-out Saitama Stadium on Thursday when his brace enabled UAE to defeat Japan 2-1 in the first match of the final phase of 2018 World Cup qualifying. Japan had taken the lead when Keisuke Honda stole in at the back post to head home a free-kick in the 11th minute. But AFC Player of the Year Khalil equalised before half-time wi…

Roasso Kumamoto lost 2-1 to Ehime FC in Wednesday’s rescheduled 2016 MEIJI YASUDA J2 League Round 11 fixture. Minoru Suganuma gave the hosts the lead in the 28th minute. But the Shikoku side fought back through Kosuke Shirai’s equaliser and Ibuki Fujita’s late game-winner. The result sees Ehime climb to 11th place with 39 points.

Vahid Halilhodzic has warned that Japan cannot relax and afford another debacle like the Singapore one as they enter the third and final round of 2018 World Cup qualifying. The Samurai Blue take on UAE on Thursday at Saitama Stadium looking to get the last phase of qualification off to a good start. And Halilhodzic wants his players to keep their focu…

The first leg of the 2016 J.League YBC Levain Cup quarter-final delivered a set of dramatic results that are sure to have fans on the edge of their seat until the final whistles on Sunday. Akihiro Ienaga’s late goal gave Omiya Ardija a 2-1 win over Yokohama F. Marinos, a large step toward reaching their first-ever cup final. Kosei Shibasaki scor…

Vegalta Sendai midfielder Takumi Sasaki underwent surgery to repair ligament damage to his right ankle, the club announced on Tuesday. The 18-year-old made his professional debut in July, appearing as a substitute in two MEIJI YASUDA J1 League fixtures. Sasaki’s recovery is expected to require three months, keeping him out for virtually all…

Matsumoto Yamaga defender Hiroshi Tetsuto will miss the next six weeks after injuring his left hamstring in a recent match. The 33-year-old, who has six substitute appearances this season, suffered the injury in his team’s scoreless draw at Renofa Yamaguchi on August 21. Matsumoto remain leaders in the race for the second and final automatic pro…

Urawa Reds’ Wataru Endo and FC Tokyo’s Yuichi Maruyama have been called up to Japan’s national team for their upcoming 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifiers. The announcement from the Japan Football Association comes after defenders Tomoaki Makino and Yuto Nagatomo were forced to withdraw from the squad due to injuries. 11 J.League players …

Nagoya Grampus have announced that former defender Marcus Tulio Tanaka will re-join the club through the end of the 2016 MEIJI YASUDA J1 League season. The former Samurai Blue star has been included in nine J.League Best Elevens, including 2006 when he was named league MVP after capturing the J1 title with Urawa Reds. Tanaka, who began participating i…

The only surprises on the second day of the Emperor’s Cup opening round were the margins of victory as J.League teams cruised to easy victories in all of their matches. The biggest win of the day took place at Kincho Stadium, where Kenyu Sugimoto’s five goals fuelled Cerezo Osaka’s 10-0 win over Shikoku League members R.Velho Takamatsu.…

Kawasaki Frontale were stunned by a sensational Diego Oliveira hat-trick as Kashiwa Reysol whipped the MEIJI YASUDA J1 League Second Stage leaders 5-2. Yahiro Kazama’s men had entered the tie looking to extend their lead at the top of the standings on Saturday but were quickly blown away by the irrepressible Brazilian. Oliveira stunned the crowd…

The 96th Emperor’s Cup began on Saturday, with amateur and collegiate teams competing with J.League clubs to become champions of Japan. The opening round of matches featured participants in the MEIJI YASUDA J2 and J3 League taking on prefectural representatives, with the J.League clubs usually emerging victorious. Current J2 leaders Consadole Sa…