Week One Roundup
the 2025 MEIJI YASUDA J.LEAGUE season is back in action and we have a rundown of the results.
Week One Roundup
Fans all over Japan – and the world, via the J.League official YouTube channel and the various broadcasters that have rights to show the 2025 season in their regions – welcomed back J.League for the 2025 MEIJI YASUDA J.LEAGUE season on Friday, February 14th, as the campaign opened with some “Friday Night J.League!
The treat for us all on opening night was the Osaka Derby - Gamba Osaka hosting Cerezo Osaka and, while it looked like the home team would be the most likely to break the deadlock in the early stages, a loose ball across the area in the 7th minute led to Sota Kitano being able to score the first goal of the new season, giving the away team the lead. Gamba managed to equalise after a fine move culminated in Neta Lavi scoring the leveler in the 31st minute, and it was level at the break.
In the opening minute of the 2nd half, Kitano added his second, with Shinji Kagawa extending the lead shortly after, before Keisuke Kurokawa blasted home from the edge of the area to keep Gamba in the game. But looking for a way back into the game cost the blue/black half of Osaka in the end with Shunta Tanaka adding a header from a free kick, and substitute returnee Motohiko Nakajima putting the icing on the Valentine's Day cake, with a solo run in added time, as Gamba left space trying to get back into the game. A seven-goal thriller to open the season!
2025 opening weekend saw seven games on Saturday. Six of those games produced less goals combined than the Osaka Derby, but Kawasaki Frontale, under new manager, Shigetoshi Hasebe – newly-arrived from Avispa Fukuoka – demolished a hapless Nagoya Grampus 4-0 to up the goal tally a little! The scorers for Frontale were all “youngsters” - Kota Takai (20), Shin Yamada (24), Hinata Yamauchi (23), and Ten Miyagi (23) striking for the home team.
In their first-ever J1 game, after a 2024 promotion, Fagiano Okayama saw a comfortable 2-0 home win over Kyoto Sanga in front of a sell-out crowd, their goals coming from Daichi Tagami - Fagiano's first-ever J1 goal – and Takaya Kimura.
Elsewhere, Kashiwa Reysol and FC Tokyo notched up 1-0 away wins under new managers. Reysol were well-deserving of their victory, but it took until the 75th minute for substitute Diego to grab the winner – while FC Tokyo were more fortunate to get the points after being under pressure for a lot of the game. Yokohama FC not looking over-awed in their return to J1, while FC Tokyo struggled to put anything together.
(Above - Koya Yuruki excelled for Vissel Kobe against his former team, but failed to get his name on the scoresheet).
Of the other games on Saturday, two-time defending champions Vissel Kobe entertained Urawa Reds (where our pictures were taken by Lionel Piguet) with the teams matching each other and settling for a goalless draw, while Shonan Bellmare began with a bang! 13 goal attempts registered (compared to the seven from Antlers) included Sho Fukuda’s impressive individual goal, after a winding, tricky run through the defence just after the hour mark was enough to claim three points for the home team against an expectant, but frustrated Kashima Antlers.
In the remaining Saturday-played game, in Niigata, Yokohama F.Marinos managed a 77th-minute equaliser from Anderson Lopes after being out-maneuvered throughout the game. 14 goal attempts by Albirex, compared to just four for the Yokohama team, tells the story. It took a penalty kick to give F.Marinos their point and, of course Lopes risked it all with his patently-irritating (opinion alert!) run-up, the goalkeeper inches away from the save.
J1 2025's opening weekend concluded on Sunday with two fixtures. The slightly earlier kick-off was at the Japan National Stadium, where Shimizu S-Pulse celebrated promotion (after a long three years in J2) with a 1-0 victory over Tokyo Verdy (who had spend a LOT longer in the second tier before their promotion last season). Koya Kitagawa's goal just before the break was the difference and gave S-Pulse the victory.
The second game of the day – and final game of the J1 weekend - saw Machida Zelvia host Sanfrecce Hiroshima. The two championship hopefuls squared off and it was the team from the west that took the points. Big-spending Zelvia were unfortunate to lose two of their big defensive signings in this game, due to injuries, Daihachi Okamura out as early as the 20th minute, then Ryoho Kikuchi just after half-time. Kikuchi will be out for a month with a hamstring injury.
The home team did manage to take the lead in the 26th minute after a superb solo run from Yuki Soma from close to the half way line. He skipped past defenders, left players in his wake, and then finished across Keisuke Osako in the Sanfrecce goal. Tolgay Arslan leveled for the away team in the 59th minute, his seemingly mis-hit volley as he chased a cleared ball lobbed back over the defence enough to bring the teams level.
The winner came from Sota Nakamura - with Sanfrecce taking the points riding their luck, the young striker's follow-up shot taking two deflections on its way into the net, after Ryo Germain's initial shot was spilled by Kosei Tani. After matchday 1 the three “S” teams – Shimizu S-Pulse, Sanfrecce Hiroshima and Shonan Bellmare were the winners sitting at the top of the table.
There's a LONG way to go – enJ the season with JSoccer.com!
(Below Urawa Reds welcome back Takuya Ogiwara to the team after a sojourn overseas)
