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The sixth and final match day of the 2016 AFC Champions League Group Stage began on Tuesday night, with two J.League teams participating in their final matches of the round. A late Zlatan penalty kick allowed Urawa Reds to salvage a 1-1 draw against K-League side Pohang Steelers as they finished second in the group behind Sydney FC.  The Reds wil…

The J.League has signed a a strategic partnership agreement with Australia’s A-League in a large step for both organisations as they look to expand into Asia. The partnership is the 10th for the J-League, who have cemented similar ties with leagues in Thailand, Vietnam, Myanmar, Cambodia, Singapore, Indonesia, Iran, Malaysia and Qatar. In additi…

Striker Shinji Okazaki has become the third Japanese player to win the Premier League after he and his Leicester teammates clinched first place with two rounds remaining. The 30-year-old has five goals in 34 appearances for the newly-crowned champions, who overcame 5000-to-1 odds to stun traditional powers such as Arsenal, Manchester United, and Chelsea.…

Nagoya Grampus on Sunday announced an injury to striker Riki Matsuda. The 24-year-old tore his right hamstring in Friday’s loss at Urawa Reds and will miss the next six weeks. Matsuda, who spent the second half of last season on loan at JEF United Chiba, has one goal in five appearances for Grampus this season.

Roasso Kumamoto on Monday trained as a team for the first time since last month’s deadly earthquakes in Kumamoto Prefecture. The 29 players practiced for roughly two hours ahead of the team’s scheduled return to action on May 15 at JEF United Chiba in the 2016 MEIJI YASUDA J2 League. “There are still people suffering as a result of t…

Jubilo Iwata striker Jay Bothroyd will miss the next four weeks of action, the club announced late last week. The English striker suffered a sprain in his left foot in the team’s MEIJI YASUDA J1 League match against Albirex Niigata on April 10. Bothroyd leads his team-mates with six goals this season, firing newly-promoted Jubilo up to sixth in …

Yokohama F. Marinos striker Martinus will miss the next three weeks due to injury, the club announced late last week. The former Curacao international has been diagnosed with a torn right thigh muscle. Since joining F.Marinos midway through the MEIJI YASUDA J1 League first stage, Martinus had netted one goal in four appearances.

The 2016 MEIJI YASUDA J2 League Round 14 match between Roasso Kumamoto and Mito Hollyhock has been rescheduled, the J.League announced on Monday. The match, originally set to take place on May 22 at Umakana Yokana Stadium, will now kick off at 15:00 JST at Hitachi Kashiwa Stadium. Roasso, who have seen several matches postponed following last month&rs…

Kashiwa Reysol climbed up into fourth in the MEIJI YASUDA J1 League following their 2-0 win over Vissel Kobe on Saturday. The hosts struck early through Ryosuke Nakayama but it was not until the second half that they made sure of all three points, with Junya Ito netting the crucial second for Reysol. Albirex Niigata twice had to claw their way back fr…

Both Gamba Osaka and FC Tokyo lost 1-0 at home to Kawasaki Frontale and Avispa Fukuoka respectively on Friday in the MEIJI YASUDA J1 League. A lone Yoshito Okubo header saw Frontale defeat Gamba at Suita City Football Stadium and keep within two points of Urawa Reds, who defeated Nagoya Grampus 4-1 in their corresponding fixture. Tokyo encountered yet…

FC Machida Zelvia narrowly held on to their lead in the 2016 MEIJI YASUDA J2 League following a 2-2 draw at Fagiano Okayama in Friday’s Round 10 action. The hosts took the lead through Yuki Oshitani’s effort in the fifth minute, but Zelvia equalised courtesy of Yuki Nakashima in the 31st.  Daiki Iwamasa gave Fagiano a 2-1 lead heading…

Jubilo Iwata defender Kentaro Oi could make his 200th J1 League appearance on Friday when his side host Sanfrecce Hiroshima in the 2016 MEIJI YASUDA J1 League’s ninth round. The 31-year-old returned to his first club this past winter after a combined five seasons with then-J2 League side Shonan Bellmare and Albirex Niigata. Kashima Antlers midfi…

The following players are suspended for the upcoming MEIJI YASUDA J.League rounds: 2016 MEIJI YASUDA J1 League First Stage Round 9 (April 29-30) Elsinho (Kawasaki Frontale) Lee Seung-hee (Nagoya Grampus) Kazuhiko Chiba (Sanfrecce Hiroshima) Kim Hyun-hun (Avispa Fukuoka) Fabio (Yokohama F. Marinos) 2016 MEIJI YASUDA J2 League Round 10 (April 2…

The postponed 2016 MEIJI YASUDA J2 League Round 8 fixture between Zweigen Kanazawa and Ehime FC has been rescheduled for May 18, the J.League announced on Thursday. The April 17 tie was called off due to severe storms in the area. The match will still take place at Zweigen’s home ground of Ishikawa Kanazawa Stadium.

Kyoto Sanga have announced the retirement of former South Korea international Kim Nam-il. The 39-year-old, who played for Sanga last season as well as for Vissel Kobe in 2008 and 2009, spent the majority of his career in his native South Korea but also repesented Dutch and Russian clubs. “I’ve decided to end my playing career and take up a…

FC Tokyo midfielder Shoya Nakajima will miss the next five to six weeks after sustaining a training injury, the club announced on Monday. The candidate for Japan’s Rio Olympic squad damaged a ligament in his right knee on April 22. Nakajima has one appearance for Tokyo in the MEIJI YASUDA J1 League as well as five appearances for the team’…

Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo midfielder Shinji Ono will throw the ceremonial first pitch at an upcoming baseball match, the club announced on Monday. The former Samurai Blue star will take to the mount before the Nippon Professional Baseball match between the Nippon Ham Fighters and Rakuten Golden Eagles at the Sapporo Dome on April 27. Third-place Cons…

Sanfrecce Hiroshima on Sunday announced the launch of the club’s official Instagram. The account will be regularly updated with photos and video in order to share the excitement of the club with followers. The 2015 Japanese champions are fourth in the 2016 MEIJI YASUDA J1 League, picking up four wins from their opening eight games. Hajime Mor…

Sagan Tosu will have to soldier on without midfielder Daichi Kamada for two weeks, the club announced on Friday. The 19-year-old was substituted out just 11 minutes into the team’s recent 1-0 Nabisco Cup loss at Yokohama F. Marinos after dislocating his left elbow. Kamada, in his second year at the club, has six starts for the Kyushu side this s…

Ventforet Kofu on Saturday announced an injury to Brazilian striker Nilson which could see him miss the remainder of the 2016 MEIJI YASUDA J1 League first stage. The 25-year-old suffered a torn right thigh muscle in the team’s 0-0 draw against Nagoya Grampus in Nabisco Cup play on Wednesday. Nilson had been handed six starts for 12th-placed Vent…