ACL Pits Dolphins Against Whales

The quarter-final draw for the AFC Champions League has thrown up another all-Japanese clash with Frontale set to face Nagoya Grampus for a place in the semi-finals.

This is a pretty agreeable outcome for both teams. Not only will they be lining up against familiar opponents, but they've also managed to avoid the prospect of a draining long-haul expedition at a crucial stage of the J.League season.

Frontale are at a slight disadvantage with the first leg taking place at Todoroki (on Wednesday, 23rd September with the return leg at Mizuho the following week). But they've shown against Gamba that they're perfectly capable of getting a result on the road.

Not wanting to count any chickens, but either Pakhtakor (of Uzbekistan) or Al Ittihad (of Saudi Arabia) awaits the winner in the semis.

Montedio Yamagata v Kawasaki Frontale

J.League Division 1: Sun, 28th June 2009

	0 - 1
		CHONG 88'

Venue: ND Soft Stadium
Attendance: 10,367

On an oppressively hot Sunday afternoon, Frontale left it uncomfortably late before claiming a crucial 3-point haul in Yamagata.

Kengo, Vitor and Chong Tese were all absent from the starting eleven. However, it was Chong's late cameo that was to prove the difference between the two teams.

The visitors dominated the first half with Renatinho looking in confident mood following Wednesday's ACL heroics. The young striker, whose future with the club has now happily been assured til the end of the season, peppered the Yamagata goal with an array of long-range efforts. But the woodwork (twice) and Yamagata keeper, Kenta Shimizu, managed to keep him at bay.

The second half started slowly - both teams clearly struggling in the infernal conditions. But with a quarter of the game to play, some choice substitutions suddenly brought Yamagata to life. On at least 5 occasions Kawashima had to be at his shot-stopping best. And, in stark contrast to the first half, it looked as though Frontale would be lucky to hang onto a draw, never mind grab a winner.

But on 88 minutes, Igawa intercepted in the middle of the park and made a determined charge upfield. Juninho then sent a first-time through ball to the newly-arrived Chong Tese, who showed his class with a calm finish at Shimizu's near post.

All-in-all a lucky escape for the boys in blue (or white, today). Just hope they haven't used up all their lives yet, given the next three fixtures are against Gamba (5th), Kashima (1st) and Niigata (2nd).

Gamba Osaka v Kawasaki Frontale

AFC Champions League - Last 16: Wed, 24th June 2009

	2 - 3
LEANDRO 27', 39'		NAKAMURA 33' RENATINHO 76' KUROTSU 85'

Venue: Expo '70 Stadium
Attendance: 14,128

Frontale clinched their second ACL quarter-final spot in 3 years with a dramatic, late comeback against the competition's reigning champions, Gamba Osaka, on Wednesday night.

Gamba dominated early on and should really have had the tie wrapped up by half time. But Frontale rode their luck and battled bravely til the end, twice coming from behind before stealing victory at the death.

Yasuhito Endo and Leandro, both of whom had been injury doubts for Gamba in the lead-up to the game, were instrumental in the home team's first-half dominance. Endo's passing, movement and set play delivery caused Frontale problems from the outset, and there was a string of chances that went begging before Leandro finally gave his team a deserved lead.

Gamba were finding most joy on Frontale's left where the understanding between Ito and Murakami often looked frayed. And it was down this flank that Leandro found space before cutting in past three defenders and beating big Eiji.

There's no doubt Sekizuka lost the tactical battle in the first half. His decision to play three stikers - Juninho, Renatinho and Chong Tese - backfired as Gamba dominated the midfield rendering Frontale's front men impotent. Although, to be fair to the manager, a fit Vitor Junior would have given him more options.

And, of course, it wasn't just the formation. Gamba played some excellent, energetic football in the first half. It was almost as if they had an extra man on the field, so easily were they finding space and retaining possession. Frontale's overstretched midfield - of Kengo, Taniguchi and Terada - was too busy defending the tide of Gamba pressure to have any real opportunity to supply their increasingly isolated strikers.

But then came possibly the game's most crucial moment. During a rare Frontale offensive raid, a neat backheel from Renatinho on the edge of the box found Kengo in space. As the Gamba defence stood off, a gap appeared and captain K took an opportunistic strike that sailed sweetly into the bottom corner.

This bolt from the blue, coming completely against the run of play, put some much-needed wind back in the visitors' sails as well as temporarily knocking Gamba off their stride. And although Gamba were back in the lead before the break - Leandro strolling in unchallenged to convert Akira Kaji's perfect cross - Kengo's goal meant Frontale still had a lifeline to cling onto.

I'll give Sekizuka the benefit of the doubt and assume his half-time change - Yuji Yabu on for Chong Tese - was purely tactical. The extra body in midfield certainly made a difference and the second half was a much more even contest.

That's not to say Gamba didn't have chances to kill the game off. Soon after the break both Leandro and Lucas squandered decent opportunities to extend their lead, but it wasn't to be.

Frontale were now seeing a lot more of the ball and Gamba, with several players only recently returned from injury, looked to be tiring. So it came as a bit of a surprise when Kurotsu came on for Juninho just as the pressure was beginning to tell, and with half an hour still on the clock.

Now, Kurotsu's never been the deadliest tool in Frontale's weaponry, but within minutes of his arrival he'd almost levelled things up. Released down the left by Kengo, he saw Gamba keeper, Yosuke Fujigaya, off his line and put in a deft lob that dropped agonisingly wide.

Shortly after, there was another flurry of activity on the sidelines. Initially, Yokoyama was stripped and ready to replace the flagging Terada. But just as the official's board was going up Renatinho motioned to the bench that he was in trouble - the problem appearing to be the mouth injury he picked up against Oita at the weekend.

Sekizuka (quite rightly) told the Brazilian to stop being such a big girl's blouse, but delayed the substitution and had Yajima readied just in case. This turned out to be a very wise decision, as moments later it was Renatinho who squared the tie with a spectacular strike.

Kengo was again involved - picking up the ball outside the Gamba box before flicking it wide to Rena. The boy wonder then cut inside Michihiro Yasuda and unleashed a curling, left-footed shot from the corner of the penalty area that wiped its feet on the angle of post and bar before hitting the back of the net. Obviously not feeling the effects of that mouth injury too much!

With 10 minutes left Gamba looked to bolster their attack, bringing on Korean striker Cho Jae-Jin for Takahiro Futagawa. However, this allowed Frontale more room in midfield and Kengo was quick to exploit this.

Combining with Renatinho to break up another wave of pressure, Kengo again launched Kurotsu through on goal. Hearts were in mouths as the substitute striker delayed until the very last second before prodding the ball past Fujigaya to give Frontale the lead.

With the seconds ticking away Gamba threw on more attackers. Of these, Ryuji Bando came closest to forcing extra time, but Kawashima did well to tip over his fierce drive. And despite a nervy finish, Frontale were able to hold out for a momentous victory.

The draw for the quarter finals will take place on the 29th June. Frontale will be paired with one of the following teams from the Western Asia qualifying section - Umm-Salal (Qatar), Bunyodkor (Uzbekistan), Pakhtakor Tashkent (Uzbekistan), Al-Ittihad (Saudi Arabia).

ACL action is now on hold til the end of September, which gives the team a chance to focus on their climb up the J.League table. I'm sure Gamba will be keen on revenge when they meet for a league clash next Wednesday.

As an aside, Renatinho's current contract is due to expire at the end of month. Given his recent form, surely an extension is in the offing?

Kawasaki Frontale v Oita Trinita

J.League Division 1: Sat, 20th June 2009

	2 - 0
RENATINHO 26', 61'

Venue: Todoroki Stadium
Attendance: 19,375

Saturday afternoon's routine victory over J1 strugglers Oita Trinita turned out to be the perfect preparation for Wednesday's ACL knockout clash against Gamba Osaka.

Not only did Sekizuka take the opportunity to rest some of his big names - Kengo, Chong Tese (both freshly qualified for next year's World Cup), Juninho, Vitor Junior and Terada all sat this one out - but even those on the field weren't exacly stretched by a distinctly sub-standard Oita outfit.

Despite fielding a strong defence - Ito partnering Igawa in the middle, with Mori and Murakami on the flanks and Yokoyama and Taniguchi sat in front - the attacking options looked a touch limited. Yajima was given a lone striker role, with Yamagishi and Renatinho manning the wings and Yuji Yabu filling Kengo's shoes in his first appearance of the season.

It took about 10 minutes for the new-look Frontale to dust off the cobwebs. During that early spell Shingo Suzuki forced a fine save out of Eiji Kawashima, but from then on the home team were coasting. (Good to see that the month Eiji's just spent warming the bench with the Japan NT hasn't dulled his reactions.)

There weren't a whole host of chances in the first half, but Frontale were controlling the game with ease. Murakami and Taniguchi both sent long-range efforts narrowly wide, and it wasn't long before Renatinho was on hand with the required skill to break the deadlock.

Yabu was the provider - playing a Kengo-esque, defence-splitting pass for the Brazilian to race onto. Then, at full-stretch, and without looking up, Rena instinctively clipped the ball goal-ward, beating outrushing keeper, Shusaku Nishikawa, in the process.

Yabu had a good game in the middle of the park, aided by Taniguchi and in particular Yokoyama, who grew in confidence as the game wore on. Mori, no longer looking like the wicked witch of the west with his new sensible haircut, was finding plenty of room down the right and Igawa was uncharacteristically rock-like at the back. In fact the only players who did nothing to enhance their reputations were Yajima and, somewhat predictably, Yamagishi.

Oita did threaten to make a comeback after the restart, but their spell of pressure was pretty shortlived. Their passing game, both long- and short-range, was poor. And Ueslei, who is looking increasingly like Calibos from the 80's classic 'Clash of the Titans', seemed wholly uninterested in anything that involved running.

The visitors managed to deliver a handful of dangerous crosses during the remainder of the game, but the resulting headers were either blocked or squandered.

Midway through the second half, it was Renatinho who once again struck to seal his guests' fate (that's 4 goals he's notched up in 2 clashes with Oita). From a quickly-taken free-kick, Yokoyama angled a long ball in to the far post and, without a defender in cat-swinging distance, the scamp from São Vicente sent a glancing header into the corner of the net. Game over.

There was to be no hat-trick for Rena, as a clash with keeper Nishikawa's knee forced him off the field with a bleeding mouth. Tasaka looked lively in his place. But it was the addition of debutant Kyohei Noborizato late in the game that kept the crowd enthralled.

The 18-year-old looked reasonably bright in his allotted 9 minutes of playing time. His first touch was a roundhouse volley from the edge of the box that was well wide, but indicates he's not shy about having a crack. His second was a cross from the left which, although inaccurate, struck the near post with the keeper beaten. Not much to go on, but pretty encouraging.

So, on to Wednesday's ACL encounter in Osaka. This is a one-leg, winner-takes-all tie, so no room for caution. There are question marks over the fitness of Endo and Leandro. It would certainly boost morale to be facing Gamba without them.