J1 League Matchweek 2 Recap: Kashima stay top after exciting weekend

J1 League Matchweek 2 Recap: Kashima stay top after exciting weekend

It’s been a hectic start to the 2024 Meiji Yasuda J1 League season. No team has a pair of wins from their first two - a first for the top flight since 2005 - giving the campaign an air of unpredictability and excitement already.

Let’s check out all the Matchweek 2 action:

Kashima Antlers 1,Cerezo Osaka 1

Léo Ceará gave Cerezo a lead, but Naomichi Ueda headed home late on to split the points and put Kashima top of the table.

FC Tokyo 1,Sanfrecce Hiroshima 1

Yuki Ohashi and Ryotaro Araki both found the back of the net to put each on three goals for the season in a draw.

Gamba Osaka 1,Albirex Niigata 0

Takashi Usami scored for the second week in a row as Gamba picked up their first win of the campaign.

Nagoya Grampus 0,FC Machida Zelvia 1

Shota Fujio gave Machida fans a day to remember, finding the back of the net to deliver Zelvia their first-ever top flight victory.

Vissel Kobe 1,Kashiwa Reysol 0

Kosuke Kinoshita scored the game’s lone goal, and Kenta Matsumoto made a big save late, as Reysol defeated the reigning champions in Kobe.

Yokohama F·Marinos 0,Avispa Fukuoka 1

Avispa’s defense was able to hold up in Yokohama, with Kazuya Konno scoring the winner in a big away win for the Wasps.

Sagan Tosu 4,Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo 0

Marcelo Ryan scored early for Sagan before the home side poured it on in the second half — following a red card to Consadole — in what was a dominant win in Tosu.

Kawasaki Frontale 4,Júbilo Iwata 5

Ryo Germain was the star of the weekend as he scored an astounding four goals in a thrilling back-and-forth contest that Júbilo won in Kawasaki thanks to their magnificent striker and his stoppage-time tally.

Kyoto Sanga 1,Shonan Bellmare 2

Shonan's thrilling win in Kyoto was powered by #NextGenJLEAGUE talent as goals from Satoshi Tanaka (21 years old) and Akito Suzuki (20 years old) ensured all three points were headed back to Hiratsuka.

Urawa Reds 1,Tokyo Verdy 1

It looked like Yudai Kimura’s strike would be enough to earn Verdy a win, but yet again they lost the lead late, as Alexander Scholz converted from the penalty spot in the 89th minute to share the points in Saitama.

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