FC Tokyo handed J1 League leaders Sanfrecce Hiroshima and two-time former Tokyo manager Hiroshi Jofuku their first loss of the season on Wednesday night in a dominating performance at Ajinomoto Stadium.
Tokyo needed just five minutes to take the lead when striker Diego Oliveira converted from the spot after being fouled in the penalty area. The Brazilian turned provider just four minutes later, drawing out Sanfrecce goalkeeper Takuto Hayashi before dishing the ball to Kensuke Nakai who easily scored on an empty net.
Oliveira found his second goal of the night six minutes into the second half, and the hosts remained in control until the final whistle despite Sho Inagaki’s consolation effort in the 60th minute.
Northeast of the capital, Kashiwa Reysol handed newly-appointed Urawa Reds manager Oswaldo Oliveira a 1-0 defeat in his debut thanks to a 72nd-minute goal from Hiroto Nakagawa. The win was Reysol’s first at home since March 30, while the Reds saw the four-match unbeaten streak built by interim manager Takeshi Otsuki come to an end.
Plucky V-Varen Nagasaki rode goals from Daichi Tagami and Juanma to a 2-1 result at Jubilo Iwata for their fourth straight win, rising to 9th in the J1 table. Meanwhile, struggling Kashima Antlers put in a strong performance against Lukas Podolski and the rest of Vissel Kobe but could only end the night with a 1-1 draw.
At Kincho Stadium, Samurai Blue midfielder Hiroshi Kiyotake scored twice in the early phase of the second half, propelling Cerezo Osaka to a 2-1 win over Vegalta Sendai.
At the bottom of the table, Nagoya Grampus extended their losing streak to seven matches in a 3-1 loss to Shimizu S-Pulse, who moved to 11th place on goals by Koya Kitagawa, Hideki Ishige, and Shota Kaneko.
The majority of the league will have just two days to recover ahead of Round 11, which will take place on April 28 with relegation-threatened Sagan Tosu and Gamba Osaka facing off on April 29.
Full Results: J1 League Round 10
Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo 2-1 Yokohama F. Marinos
Kashima Antlers 1-1 Vissel Kobe
Kashiwa Reysol 1-0 Urawa Reds
FC Tokyo 3-1 Sanfrecce Hiroshima
Shonan Bellmare 1-0 Gamba Osaka
Jubilo Iwata 1-2 V-Varen Nagasaki
Nagoya Grampus 1-3 Shimizu S-Pulse
Cerezo Osaka 2-1 Vegalta Sendai
Sagan Tosu 0-2 Kawasaki Frontale
