The old champion is also the new champion.
Congratulations to Kawasaki Frontale who managed to defend their title in the Japanese J1 League. Already 2 games before the last match day it was clear that this year the old champion will not give up his place in the sun again. Kawasaki celebrated his second title in the highest Japanese football league and was able to end the season in a relaxed way.
The 34th and last match day on Saturday then saw a 2-1 home win over Jubilo Iwata and the team from near Tokyo finished another successful season 8 points ahead of Sanfrecce Hiroshima.
Bitterly what the last game on the other hand for the guests who due to an own goal in the 94 minute now still have to go into the final relegation game to avoid being sent down from the J1 League. Iwata will now face J2 Team Tokyo Verdy who beat Yokohama FC on Saturday. A game of ALL or NOTHING!
I featured Yokohama FC in my last article, joining the Happy Moanday contest.
The teams V-Varen Nagasaki and Kashiwa Reysol are being relegated to the second league. From the J2 league the first two teams rise directly and the places 3 to 6 play out the participant of the relegation game with the 16th of the J1 league.
In the coming 2019 season J2's first and second, Matsumoto Yamaga and Oita Trinita will therefore be promoted into the highest leaguee J1, while Jubilo Iwata and Tokyo Verdy have to decide this week whom of them will celebrate with champagne and who with just plain water.
This year's winner of the Asian Champions League, Kashima Antlers, finished the season in third place and will have the opportunity to play internationally again next year to defend their AFC title.
You can read more about their great victory over the Iranian team Persepolis F.C. here.
In addition to champions Kawasaki and Kashima, runners-up Sanfrecce Hiroshima, who failed to win the last 9 games in the J-League, will also be playing internationally. Those last 9 games were one of the reasons why Hiroshima had to leave the championship to Kawasaki, quite a bad finish of a strong season for the Western Japan based team.
The last two years two Japanese team were able to win the highest Asian club tournament, 2017 Urawa Red and this year Kashima Antlers, so I am curious whether another Japanese team will be able to defend the crown of the Asian club championships in 2019.
After several familiar faces have changed to the J1 in recent years, Japanese fans are now looking forward to the Spanish world champion David Villa, who is going to join his former colleague Andres Iniesta and the German world champion Lukas Podolski at Vissel Kobe.
The team from the Kansai region ended the championship on 10th place, their fans definitely are wishing for a better outcome in the next year.
The J1 League could need a bit more glamour, the Japanese fans are burning for good football and are honestly enthusiastic about the big names. Most foreign players come from Brazil, a total of 21 kickers from, the South American country earn their living playing football in the Far Eastern nation, although not necessarily the big names.
Worth mentioning is of course the former Spanish World Champion Fernando Torres, who since this year is under contract with Sagan Toso, who endedthis season only on a not really satisfying 14th place.
The Japanese leagues traditionally start at the end of winter, and next year the season will begin as early as February.
Discussions about starting the leagues at the end of the summer, as in Europe, are probably not yet off the table, even if they do not necessarily have the support of most fans.
Now it's time for the well-deserved winter break, except for Champions League winner Kashima Antlers, who will have to prove themselves this month at the Club World Championships in the United Arab Emirates.
There too, they will certainly represent Japanese football in a worthy manner, let's keep our fingers crossed for the Antlers and hope for a good result.
頑張ってください Ganbatte kudasai!
(Japanese cheering, which can be translated like, „Hold on“ or „Do your best“)
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