Matchweek 36 of the 2024 J.League 1 season was wrapped up over the weekend, with top two sides Vissel Kobe and Sanfrecce Hiroshima dropping points and surprise packages Machida Zelvia managing to regain momentum right at the death to ensure that the title race would remain well alive coming into the last two matchweeks of the season.
Defending champions Vissel had raced into a 1-0 lead after just 7 minutes away at Tokyo Verdy, only for Matheus Thuler’s 90th minute own goal to deny the league leaders all three points.
2nd placed Sanfrecce, on the other hand, were battered 3-0 away at Urawa Red Diamonds, which gave the opportunity for 3rd placed Machida to end their 5-game winless run with a 3-0 drubbing of their city rivals FC Tokyo at the Machida GION Stadium.
Machida’s win came at the best possible moment as their recent slump in form saw the newly-promoted side trailing five points behind Vissel in 1st and two points behind Sanfrecce in 2nd – indeed, had they lost to FC Tokyo and result elsewhere go against them, Machida’s unlikely title charge would have ended then and there.
With a squad consisting of mostly unremarkable players compared to the star-studded squads of Vissel and Sanfrecce, one might point out Machida’s recent slump as “mental fatigue” that came with their remarkable rise to the top, however once again Go Kuroda’s men’s mental fortitude came into the spotlight when they need it the most, with their win over FC Tokyo ensuring that Machida would not bottle their league title chances for at least another matchweek.
Matchweek 37 – to be played after the international break – will see the top three traveling to sides struggling at the bottom end of the table – Vissel traveling to Kashiwa Reysol, Sanfrecce hosting second-last Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo, and Machida hosting Kyoto Sanga. On paper the trio should win their games easily but judging from how Machida surprisingly lost 2-1 away at last-placed and already-relegated Sagan Tosu on November 3rd, the top three should remain wary of their opponents especially since they would be trying their best to beat the drop.
The last matchweek then saw the top three taking on opponents of varying difficulty. Vissel host mid-table Shonan Bellmare, Machida facing a tricky tie away at Kashima Antlers, and Sanfrecce traveling to current 4th placers Gamba Osaka.
With the final stretch of the 2024 J1 season in front of them, Vissel, Sanfrecce, and Machida will be using the international break to regroup themselves and prepare for what could be their biggest set of games yet. Will Vissel defend their title? Will Sanfrecce reclaim their crown that they’ve last gained nine years ago? Or will Machida complete their fairytale with a maiden J1 crown?