Kawasaki Frontale v Kyoto Sanga FC

J.League Division 1: Wed, 29th April 2009

	4 - 1
VITOR 17' YAJIMA 63' JUNINHO 73' KUROTSU 79'		KATO 89'

Venue: Todoroki Stadium
Attendance: 16,253

It's not often you watch your team win by three goals and come away feeling like you've just been slapped in the face. But this is one of those rare occasions.

The game itself was a walkover, with Sanga showing levels of commitment more suited to a Liz Taylor marriage. Let's just say Frontale didn't have to be at their best to rack up their four goals. And all that was needed to put the cherry on the cake was a first clean sheet of the season.

But with mere seconds left on the clock, the boys in blue once again managed to rain on their own parade.

Even the replay doesn't make it 100% clear who the culprit was, but via process of elimination, and judging by his notable absence from the post-match comments, it seems to have been Taniguchi (please correct me if I'm wrong). Drifting off into a world of daydream, he dallied on the ball far too long, allowing Sanga to steal possession and swarm in for a late consolation goal.

I may be making too much of it - after all, a 4-1 win is a 4-1 win - but Frontale were on course to come away from this game with a well-earned spring in their step. Instead, one momentary, last-minute lapse has left nothing more than a bad taste in the mouth.

Of course, there are positives to take from the match. Sekizuka took the opportunity to give four key players some much-needed rest. Ito, Mori, Yokoyama and Chong Tese were all left out of the starting eleven, with Murakami, Kikuchi, Tasaka and Yajima coming in.

The alarm bells were ringing at the announcement that Kikuchi would be lining up alongside Terada in the middle of defence. But apart from a couple of dangerously mis-placed passes in the first half, which Sanga should really have punished, he did OK.

The big plus was Yajima notching up his first goal of the season. He should probably have had two on the day, but a nicely finished first-half effort was ruled out by a questionable offside flag.

He may not have that extra edge to his game, like a Juninho or a Chong Tese, but today's performance shows that Yajima can certainly put the ball away when given the chance.

Unfortunately for him, he was forced to leave the field early with what looked like a bad case of cramp. Kurotsu, his replacement and main rival for a place in the team, added insult to injury by adding his own name to the scoresheet within minutes of his arrival.

Saturday's Kanagawa derby is likely to provide a much sterner test. But who knows, with a few fresh faces back in the team, maybe we'll finally get to see a whole match with no costly blunders. What luxury!

Sanfrecce Hiroshima v Kawasaki Frontale

J.League - Divison 1: Sun, 26th April 2009

	1 - 1
TAKAHAGI 58'		VITOR 35'

Venue: Hiroshima Big Arch
Attendance: 13,896

Frontale's poor away form continued on Sunday with a 1-1 draw against Sanfrecce Hiroshima.

However, any regret they might have about squandering two points will be tempered by a hefty chunk of relief they didn't come away with nothing.

"What's so shabby about a point on the road against the league's top scorers?", you might ask. Well, let's not forget that high-scoring Sanfrecce have conceded almost as many as they've netted this season. Let's add to that the first-half dismissal of Mihael Mikic. Surely if you're a goal up, and a man up, at half time against one of the league's leakiest defences, the least you can do is come away with three points...right?

Frontale's goal was served up to them on a silver platter - Vitor pouncing on a weak backpass, rounding the keeper and sidefooting into an empty net to give his side what was, at the time, a deserved lead.

Another gift arrived soon after - this time from referee, Toshimitsu Yoshida, sending off Sanfrecce winger Mihael Mikic for falling over in the penalty area. No-one likes a diver, but having booked the Croatian just 10 minutes previously, Mr Yoshida could have been excused for awarding the benefit of the doubt instead of a red card.

Frontale, despite their torrid schedule, had actually been looking far the hungrier of the two teams in the first half. The only signs of tiredness appearing in the poor quality of their final ball. However, their insistence on coughing up cheap goals was to prove their downfall once again.

10 minutes into the second half, an ill-judged square ball from Ito put unnecessary pressure on his team mates. Yojiro Takahagi was up like a flash to block the panic-stricken Igawa's attempted clearance, and the ball fell kindly for him to slot past Kawashima from the edge of the box. (I suppose the congested fixture list demands a degree of squad rotation, but there seems a much better balance to the defence when Ito's in the middle and Murakami's on the left.)

Having conceded the obligatory soft goal, there was a return of the old familiar desperation in their attack. Sekizuka threw on Renatinho and Yamagishi to add more weight up front, but there was a growing danger they were leaving themselves too light at the back.

Sanfrecce were making much better use of their opportunities on the counter. And had Kazu Morisaki's 30-yard belter in the dying minutes gone in off the post rather than ricocheting back across the face of goal and out for a throw, it would have been a very bitter pill to swallow. As it is, Frontale can write this game off as a missed opportunity rather than an unmitigated disaster.

Kawasaki Frontale v Central Coast Mariners

AFC Champions League - Group H: Tue, 21st April 2009

	2 - 1
JUNINHO 46' RENATINHO 81'		SIMON 59'

Venue: Todoroki Stadium
Attendance: 8.419

Frontale overcame the elements and a resilient Central Coast Mariners to book their place in the last 16 of the AFC Champions League on Tuesday night.

A glancing Renatinho header secured the three points after a 60th minute Matt Simon strike had cancelled out Juninho's predatory opener.

The only change from the team that started against Omiya on Saturday was the loss of Murakami at left back. Igawa was brought in alongside Terada in the middle and Ito shifted over to the side.

The first half was football at its least entertaining. It's hard to know who was more to blame, the relentless rain god or the inept referee. Whichever, the combined effect was an opening 45 minutes notable only for the occasional episode of brandished handbags between two increasingly frustrated sides.

With conditions more suited to a Guantanamo Bay swimming lesson, Frontale's intricate passing game was all but nullified. Central Coast, for their part, made a much better fist of closing down in midfield than they'd managed on home soil. Andre Gumprecht, in particular, deserves credit for keeping Kengo quiet, while Matt Simon, returning from suspension, looked a more lively option up front.

Indeed it was Simon who came closest to opening the scoring - denied only by a last-ditch recovery from Eiji after the ball had slipped loose inside the 6 yard box.

On the very stroke of half-time Vitor missed a golden opportunity to give Frontale the lead. Juninho found space down the right and sent over a pinpoint cross. But his pint-sized compatriot made an absolute pig's ear of his unchallenged header from 8 yards out.

Given the slick surface it was surprising that neither keeper's handling was really put to the test in the first half. This was put right within minutes of the restart as Danny Vukovic was unable to hold onto a powerful header from Chong Tese. Juninho was quickly on hand to feed off the scraps and put his team ahead.

Despite the heavens remaining open, the floodgates stayed firmly shut. After weathering a brief storm of Frontale pressure, the Mariners steadied their ship and fought back with the kind of gutsy determination that was so lacking two weeks ago.

Not only did the visitors succeed in keeping themselves in the game, but on the hour mark they were level. The breakthrough came when Ito for once failed to step up and hold the line, leaving Matt Simon free to slide the ball past the advancing Kawashima.

A month ago Frontale might have struggled to respond to this kind of setback. However, these days they look to be made of sterner stuff and, with Renatinho and Yajima on for Vitor and Chong Tese, the home team soon started to regain the upper hand.

And their patient approach didn't go unrewarded. With 10 minutes left on the clock, a corner delivered deep by Kengo was poorly dealt with by two Mariners challenging for the same ball. It dropped to Taniguchi whose floated cross was glanced inside the far post by Renatinho, notching up his 3rd goal in 4 ACL games (in 3 of which he's only featured as a second-half sub).

The result leaves Central Coast at the bottom of the group on 2 points. Frontale stay top on 10 points. Home and dry!

---

Here's how things stand in Group H with two games to play:

Team	GP	W	D	L	GF	GA	Pts
Kawasaki Frontale	4	3	1	0	9	2	10
Pohang Steelers	4	1	3	0	2	1	6
Tianjin Teda	4	0	2	2	2	4	2
Central Coast Mariners	4	0	2	2	3	9	2

Kawasaki Frontale v Omiya Ardija

J.League Division 1: Sat, 18th April 2009

	3 - 1
CHONG 62' TANIGUCHI 87' JUNINHO 88'		ISHIHARA 31'

Venue: Todoroki Stadium
Attendance: 16,224

Roll up! Roll up! Summer's on its way and the Kawasaki emotional rollercoaster is back in town!

Omiya Ardija arrived on Saturday defending the league's only unbeaten record. But a determined second-half display from the boys in blue made sure the Saitama Squirrels didn't get their nuts.

Despite dominating the game, Frontale were up to their usual tricks - conceding a soft early goal and struggling to make their superiority count. Given the way things have been going, even the most optimistic fan could be forgiven for anticipating another case of "How on god's green earth did we lose that one?". But three goals in the final 30 minutes, from Chong Tese, Taniguchi and Juninho, stole a deserved victory from the jaws of defeat.

Frontale started brightly and were playing all the football early on. Juninho had an effort cleared off the line by Croatian colossus, Mato Neretljak. And Kengo watched his free-kick from the edge of the D fly narrowly wide.

Their best chance of the half fell to Chong Tese, latching onto a long ball after a moment of indecision from Omiya keeper, Koji Ezumi. The visitors, however, were not made to pay for their mistake as the Korean (never known for his subtlety) gave too much welly to an attempted lob.

There was a horrible inevitability that Frontale would live to rue this missed opportunity. An inevitability that was all too quickly realised as Omiya put themselves in front, neatly capitalising on a mistake by their opponents' centre-back pairing.

A stooping header from Terada fell straight to the nimble feet of Chikara Fujimoto. The Ardija stalwart then released Naoki Ishihara through a gaping hole left by Ito's attempt to cover for his out-of-position partner. The goal was nicely finished by the young number 9, but the defending was poor.

Omiya had given their hosts very little to worry about before taking the lead. But they could easily have been two up before the break, as their rattled hosts struggled to regroup. A free kick from out wide (conceded petulantly by Murakami) was met by an unmarked Daisuke Tomita, but the defender blasted his shot high and wide.

The troops managed to gather themselves at the interval and the second half started much the same as the first. Frontale were enjoying the lion's share of possession, but unable to make the all-important breakthrough.

Denying Frontale the chance to counter was working a treat for the orange army. Their defense was under fairly constant pressure, but they looked to be coping pretty well.

Then on 60 minutes Sekizuka made the first of two crucial substitutions, sacrificing the hard-working Vitor for the more direct Renatinho. Omiya immediately benefitted from the swap, finding the space to launch their first attack of the half. Sadly, they'll be wishing they'd kept their hatches firmly battoned as a sweeping Frontale counter-attack, culminating in Chong dispatching Kengo's perfectly-timed pass, finally put the sides level.

The visitors might have cut their losses at this stage and sat back to play out the draw. However, possibly victims of their recent success, they decided to press for the win.

With spaces now starting to appear in Omiya's rearguard, Seikizuka brought fresh legs to the attack replacing Chong with Yajima. But it was his third change that was to prove decisive.

Initially Tasaka was stripped and ready to come on up front. But, in a strange twist of fate, an injury to Yokoyama called for a quick change of plan and instead Igawa, looking like a spare member of Japanese R&B entourage "Exile" with his new tidily-shaven scalp, was added into the mix.

Omiya's response was to bring on Klemen Lavric, Igawa's tormentor in last season's fixture at Omiya Park, and quite probably the final nail in Frontale's 2008 title challenge. But it was Igawa who was to have the last laugh this time.

With the seconds ticking away, Mori (whose maturity so far this season has been an absolute revelation) opted to keep possession rather than send over the kind of ball Omiya had been defending with ease all day. He passed back to Igawa who had time and space to deliver from a deeper angle. The ball sailed to the far post where the elusive Taniguchi outleapt his marker and headed in the decider.

Juninho added a third moments later, giving the scoreline a gloss that was by no means unrepresentative of the balance of play. The elder statesman of the Frontale attack caught a lucky break when his attempted cross was blocked back into his path, giving him the chance to prod the ball past Ezumi and wrap up the three points.

Shimizu S-Pulse v Kawasaki Frontale

J.League Division 1: Sun, 12th April 2009

	1 - 0
OKAZAKI 16'

Venue: Outsourcing Stadium
Attendance: 17,256

I'm not even going to start on the 24-hour-midweek-round-trip-to-Australia excuses. Frontale always lose away to S-Pulse. It's simply a fact of life. If you're going to be under-prepared for a game, it may as well be one that you're pre-ordained to lose anyway.

Maybe Murakami was a little leg-weary when he fell over himself and let Kazuki Hara cross for Shinji Okazaki to head in the only goal of the game. But you can't mess with destiny.

Only saw a bit of the second half of the match, so not really much to add. It looked like Frontale were seeing plenty of possession but were faced with the same old problem of struggling to break down a team that's prepared to defend in numbers.

Taniguchi had to be rested at half time, Tasaka taking his place after the break. And Takuro Yajima, who was warming the bench for S-Pulse last year, made his first appearance of the season with a 15-minute cameo at the end. Nice for him to get a run round his old stomping ground. I'm sure the home supporters made him feel very welcome!

No excuses against high-flying Omiya come Saturday. They're due a good hiding after the 6 points they took off us last season.

Central Coast Mariners v Kawasaki Frontale

AFC Champions League - Group H: Wed, 8th April 2009

	0 - 5
		CHONG 8' TANIGUCHI 22' JUNINHO 37' NAKAMURA 49' RENATINHO 70'

Venue: Bluetongue Stadium
Attendance: 9,419

A buoyant Kawasaki Frontale maintained their two-point cushion at the top of Group H with a five-goal footballing masterclass against Central Coast Mariners on Wednesday night.

Progress to the knockout stage should now be plain sailing for the "cashed up" Japanese side after comprehensively sinking their Australian hosts.

Chong Tese opened proceedings, holding off Mariners defender Brad Porter to head home Mori's inviting cross. There had been suggestions that the burly Korean might be rested after his recent international exertions, but he showed little sign of fatigue in an impressive forward display.

Juninho should have added a second shortly after, but it was Taniguchi who was next onto the scoresheet with a trademark header from Vitor's corner. This second goal took whatever wind remained out of the home team's sails and afforded Frontale the freedom to relax into their game.

Chances were now coming thick and fast. Vitor Junior, who was simply too hot for the Australians to handle, curled a shot inches wide from the corner of the box after cutting in neatly on his left foot. Chong Tese was then sent through on goal only for Mariners captain Alex Wilkinson to get back and do just enough to avert the danger.

The game was put to bed on 37 minutes when a deflected shot flew past a wrong-footed Danny Vukovic in the Mariners goal. Mori, who gave another all-round strong performance, came in off his wing and squared to Chong whose deft dummy left Juninho with time and space to pick his spot. It looked like the veteran striker's shot was probably on target, but the deflection off defender Nigel Boogaard certainly helped.

Central Coast weren't without their own chances. Indeed if striker Nik Mrdja hadn't directed his free header straight at Eiji Kawashima in the opening minutes it could have given the visitors, whose confidence is often easily bruised, something to think about.

Half chances fell to Adrian Caceres and Dylan MacAllister, and a couple of corners were wastefully overhit, but other than that the home team showed little of note in the first half. At 3-0 Mrdja did finally manage to spring the offside trap but his tame shot rebounded harmlessly away off big Eiji's sturdy frame.

Any half-time words of encouragament from Mariners manager Lawrie McKinna were blown away straight after the break when Kengo made it four. A sumptuous Vitor flick with the outside of the boot fell perfectly for his captain to volley into the back of the net.

Kengo almost returned the favour soon after when his back-heel left Vitor with the goal at his mercy. The diminutive Brazilian watched his shot sail towards the top corner before being diverted round the post by a last-gasp lunge from Porter.

With things going much better than any pre-match script he could have prepared, Sekizuka took the opportunity to rest some of his key players. Chong, Mori and Taniguchi came off for Renatinho, Igawa and Yamagishi. The latter two did little to suggest they'll be reclaiming their starting spots any time soon, but Renatinho put out a reminder that he can do a job for the team by adding a fifth.

A loose pass out from Vukovic left Boogaard looking foolish as the Frontale forwards pounced. Juninho (somewhat miraculously) decided to pass to Renatinho, thereby taking full advantage of a two-on-one situation, and the substitute's clinical shot sent the away supporters into raptures.

Frontale could have been forgiven for taking their eye off the ball after the break, but Sekizuka looks to be instilling a ruthless professionalism in his charges. Things did slow down towards the end, but this was more as a result of the substitutions than any lack of respect for their opponents.

Central Coast showed occasional signs of life in the second half. The addition of Ahmad Elrich and Adam Kwasnik brought a bit more spirit to a demoralised side. The latter was unlucky to be denied on two occasions, one a point-blank save by Kawashima and the other a goal-line clearance from Terada. But the home fans weren't to get their consolation goal.

Frontale can seal their progress to the next round in the return leg in a fortnight's time. After this performance, the Mariners will no doubt be relishing their trip that little bit less.

Extended highlights of the game can be found on YouTube: Part1, Part2, Part3.

Kawasaki Frontale v Nagoya Grampus

J.League Division 1: Sat, 4th April 2009

	3 - 1
VITOR JUNIOR 24' TANIGUCHI 29' CHONG 61'		MAGNUM 23'

Venue: Todoroki Stadium
Attendance: 20,148

The sakura lining the streets round Todoroki Stadium wasn't the only thing in full bloom on Saturday afternoon as Frontale finally put together a performance befitting the pre-season press hype and high hopes of their fans.

So far this season there have only been brief glimpses of the free-flowing football of last year. But against a potentially dangerous Nagoya Grampus they seemed to find the balance and composure that's been so absent of late.

Yusuke Tasaka earning his first start of the season, added an extra touch of dynamism to the side - his hustle and bustle allowing Kengo to play a slightly more withdrawn role than in recent games. The pint-sized midfielder had the occasional heavy touch and his cross, midway through the first half, to an unmarked Juninho was criminally overhit, but he could well prove to be a valuable asset this season.

Despite a fairly comfortable start from the home team, it was Nagoya who opened the scoring. Yoshizumi Ogawa jinked his way neatly between Mori and Tasaka before arrowing in a lethal cross which Magnum, who seems to be making a habit of scoring against his former team, bundled in at the far post.

However, within a minute of the restart the game was all square. Competition for the right back spot has done Mori the world of good and he immediately made amends for his defensive slip, tearing up the right wing and crossing for Vitor Junior to prod the ball home. Seigo Narazaki, the Nagoya keeper, complained that he'd been obstructed by an offside Chong Tese, but there was no way the North Korean could have been deemed active.

Vitor, it must be said, deserves a lot of the credit for the team's impressive display. In recent games he's looked on a totally different wavelength from his team mates. But on Saturday he was back to his best. Maybe it's the return of milder weather.

Indeed it was Vitor's corner that led to Frontale's second. Delivered long to Terada, the towering defender nodded the ball back into the danger zone where Taniguchi placed a looping header perfectly into the top corner.

Nagoya ended the first half strongly, but the home team's much-maligned defense battled admirably to keep them at bay. The left side is starting to look very solid, with Ito in the middle and Murakami bringing a bit of pace and energy to the full-back position. On the right, as already mentioned, Mori looks a new player. And Terada, a strong contender for man of the match on Saturday, made the talented Davi look surprisingly ordinary.

Davi did have one opportunity to make space for himself in the Frontale box, but Taniguchi was on hand to make a double block at point blank range. There were mild penalty appeals from the Nagoya players for handball, but it would have been a very harsh call at such close range.

Another penalty shout came when Ito blocked on the line minutes later. But the referee again waved it away.

At half time Sekizuka looked to consolidate and brought Yokoyama on for Tasaka. And it was the lanky defender-turned-midfielder whose timely interception in the centre of the park brought about Frontale's match-killing third. The ball broke to Chong Tese who charged up the middle like a modern-day Moses as the Nagoya defense parted before him and tucked away his third goal in four league matches.

Overall it was a pretty disappointing performance from Nagoya. They showed very little steel in the middle of the park, coming out second best in the majority of the 50-50 challenges. And they left far too much space at the back against a team renowned for their strength on the counter attack. That said, they can probably count themselves unlucky to have come knocking on the day Frontale finally found their form.

After a performance like this it's hard to criticise, but it should be noted that Frontale's much-lauded front pairing were once again not quite at the races. Chong Tese can be forgiven, having just flown back from 2 tough World Cup qualifiers against UAE and South Korea. Juninho, however, was lucky not to be hauled off much sooner after repeatedly missing chances and squandering possession. Ultimately it didn't matter on Saturday, but I just wonder if Renatinho might be due another chance to impress.

One final thought. Nagoya fans would probably disagree, but I felt the referee had a very good game. At least, that is, until the dying minutes when he elbowed Ogawa in the head. Check out this YouTube clip, around the 2:20 mark - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rSfuv5tAOmg. The ref looked to have come off worse, but it turned out Ogawa had a bleeding gash to his forehead and was ordered off the field!