[J1 League Round 9] Kyoto overcomes their 'demon' with a hat trick! R. Elias emerges victorious in the striker showdown

Round 9 (held on April 5th and 6th) match results

One match of Round 9 was played on April 5th, and the remaining nine matches were played on April 6th. The results are as follows. The first topic of discussion this round is the change in the lead. Kashima, who had been in first place until now, has finally dropped to third place, and Machida has risen to the top. However, Machida and second-place Hiroshima are tied with 17 points, and Hiroshima has played one game less. Therefore, Machida's lead is only provisional, and it will be interesting to see where Hiroshima will rank when they tie with the others. Meanwhile, there seems to be some movement at the bottom of the table. Niigata's first win of the season has brought them to seven points, the same as 19th-place Yokohama F. Marinos. Yokohama F. Marinos' attacking football has completely faded, so this is Niigata's chance to escape last place.

Held on April 5th

Yokohama F. Marinos 0-0 Tokyo Verdy

Held on April 6th

Okayama 1-0 FC Tokyo
・Machida 2-2 Kawasaki F
Yokohama FC 2-0 Shimizu
Kobe 0-1 Niigata
・Fukuoka 1-0 Urawa
・Kashima 3-4 Kyoto
・Kashiwa 1-0 Gamba Osaka
・Shonan 2-1 Nagoya
Hiroshima 2-1 Cerezo Osaka

Kyoto to face off against the impregnable Kashima

Kyoto, with a "win-at-all-cost" mentality, is known for its high pressure and speedy offense. They have gone three games undefeated, and in their last match against Kashiwa, they showed tenacity and caught up in the final minutes. However, this week they face Kashima, a team they have a hard time playing against. Kyoto has three draws and two losses in their last five matches, and no wins. It's easy to imagine that facing such an impregnable Kashima team will be a tough challenge for Kyoto.

However, it is positive that Rafael Elias, who joined last summer as a reinforcement, is in excellent form this season. As of the eighth round, he is tied for fourth place in the scoring rankings, and has already scored four goals including cup matches. Hiroshima's only loss this season was due to Elias' winning goal. Meanwhile, Kashima has Leo Ceará, who is number one in the scoring rankings, and a win against them would be an opportunity to quickly rise up the rankings. This round will be a battle for the top scorer, so keep an eye on them.

They came back from a tie in just two minutes!

The game started with a rapid transition between offense and defense, but Leo Ceara scored the opening goal and then a second. Kyoto, now two goals behind, launched aggressive attacks, but struggled to score. Looking at the number of shots in the first half, Kyoto had one to Kashima's nine, highlighting Kashima's dominance. Despite Kashima's first loss in seven matches, they remain a formidable opponent for Kyoto. However, the momentum shifted dramatically in the second half. In the 61st minute, Hara Daichi received a through pass from Fukuda Shinnosuke and kicked it back, which Elias passed to Hirado Taiki, who was running up the left. Hirado's shot was cleared by the opponent, but Okugawa Masaya slotted the loose ball into the net to make it 1-1. Energized by this goal, Kyoto added another goal in the 80th minute. Hara delivered a cross from the left wing, and Elias, waiting in the penalty area, headed it in. This put the game back to square one, but Kyoto's onslaught continued. Just two minutes later, Elias headed the ball into the bottom right corner of the goal, and they quickly took the lead.

Elias scores a hat trick to give the team the lead! First win against the daunting Kashima team

After the game had been turned around, Kashima scored a goal in added time, bringing the score back to square one. With the Kashima supporters cheering loudly in the stands, it seemed the match would end in a draw. However, Kyoto showed tenacity. In the 95th minute, Elias swung his left foot and once again fired a sharp shot into the bottom left corner of the goal. Kyoto held on until the end, winning 3-4 and finally securing a win against their nemesis, Kashima. Elias, who scored the winning goal, completed his hat trick. In the striker duel with Leo Ceará, who scored two goals, Elias prevailed. The team is now unbeaten in their last four games and is just two points behind Machida, who rose to the top of the table this week. They will need to continue this strong run in their quest for the club's first league title in history.

*The information in this article is current as of the time of publication.