Reysol stay on course to earn J. League title
KASHIWA, Chiba Pref. — J. League front-runners Kashiwa Reysol fought back from a goal down to keep their title destiny in their own hands going into the final week of the season with a 1-1 draw with Cerezo Osaka on Saturday.
Reysol went into the match at Hitachi Stadium with a three-point lead over second-place Nagoya Grampus, knowing that four points from their final two games would be enough to claim their first-ever championship just a year after winning the second division.
But the Chiba side also knew that Nagoya's superior goal difference would make any slip-ups potentially lethal, and with Grampus ahead 3-0 at halftime in their game against Montedio Yamagata, Cerezo's Taikai Uemoto took the title initiative away from Reysol with a goal in the 48th minute.
As Grampus momentarily climbed into first place in the table, however, Leandro Domingues dragged Kashiwa back into pole position with an equalizer in the 65th minute. Grampus went on to complete a 3-0 win over Montedio to remain one point off the pace going into the final weekend, while third-place Gamba Osaka are also still in title contention one point further back after a 1-0 win over Vegalta Sendai.
Kashiwa can clinch the title next Saturday with a win away to Urawa Reds — who all but confirmed their first-division survival with a 2-1 win over Avispa Fukuoka — regardless of the outcome of Nagoya's visit to Albirex Niigata and Gamba's trip to Shimizu S-Pulse.=http://www.japantimes.co.jp
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