Reds heap more ‘misery’ on Vortis
TOKYO, July 23, (AFP): Table-topping Urawa Reds heaped more misery on Tokushima Vortis in their first season in Japan’s top flight with a 2-0 win on Wednesday that left the islanders hopelessly adrift in the drop zone.
Defender Tomoaki Makino’s toe-poked opener and a ferocious Shinzo Koroki blast 12 minutes into the second half saw the visitors extend their lead at the top to four points as the 2007 Asian champions also kept a J-League record seventh successive clean sheet.
Urawa, Japan’s best-supported club, improved to 35 points from 16 games.
Vortis, whose name is derived from the Italian for ‘whirlpool’ and a nod to the famous sea pools off Tokushima island in western Japan, got that sinking feeling again after their 13th defeat of a troubled campaign.
After winning promotion for the first time via the playoffs, they remain marooned at the bottom of the J-League first division with just five points and odds-on to make a swift return to J-2.
Kawasaki Frontale did highflying Urawa a favour by producing a 1-0 victory at secondplaced Sagan Tosu.
Left-back Kyohei Noborizato dribbled into the box to stab home from a tight angle just after the hour mark to give Frontale their third win in a row, keeping them third and to within a point of Sagan.
Defending champions Sanfrecce Hiroshima ended a frustrating run of form by thrashing Kashiwa Reysol 5-2 at home, a last-minute rocket by substitute Koji Morisaki capping a fine display.
Elsewhere, recent Brazilian signing Leandro Domingues rescued a point for Nagoya Grampus with a stunning injury-time volley in a pulsating 3-3 draw at Vegalta Sendai.
Plucky Omiya Ardija earned a valuable point in a 2-2 draw at once-mighty Kashima Antlers, Slovenia striker Zlatan Ljubijankic smashing in a 68th-minute volley for the visitors, languishing second from bottom on 15 points. Kashima stay fourth on 26 points.
Gamba Osaka overpowered Shimizu S-Pulse 4-0, Brazilians Patric and Lins getting on the scoresheet while Vissel Kobe slipped from fifth to sixth after a 1-1 stalemate at Yokohama F-Marinos.
In Kiev, Reigning champions Shakhtar Donetsk won their sixth Ukrainian Super Cup, beating Dynamo Kiev 2-0 at Lviv.
The traditional Ukrainian league curtain-raiser that pits the country’s champions against the cup winners was played for the first time at Lviv Arena, built for Euro 2012.
Shakhtar were missing six of their players who have refused to return to Ukraine after a friendly in France because of the tense political situation in the country.
Forward Olexander Gladkiy put Donetsk into the lead with quarter of an hour to go, with late Brazilian substitute Marlos adding an injury-time second.