NEWS

Three-time J. League champions Jubilo Iwata avoided relegation to the J. League’s Division Two after beating Vegalta Sendai 2-1 in the second leg of the J. League promotion/relegation playoff at home on Saturday.

Nineteen-year-old midfielder Takuya Matsuura, who scored a crucial equalizer in his team’s 1-1 draw at Sendai on Wednesday night, struck twice against the J2 club.
“To remain in Division One was our aim, and we’ve done that,” Jubilo manager and former Japan coach Hans Ooft said, “For our players, our fans and our people in the club, I’m satisfied with that.”
Before going into Saturday’s game, Jubilo had the advantage of an away goal, and the Shizuoka-based team could have guaranteed their survival with a 0-0 draw.
The visitors attacked hard, with North Korea midfielder Ryan Yong Gi leading his team. They came close when Nadson took a pass from Ryan in the box in the 25th minute, but the Brazilian forward hit his shot high over the bar.
Jubilo broke the deadlock in the 42nd minute through Matsuura. The young midfielder fed a ball to Ryoichi Maeda and dashed into the area to take the return pass. Matsuura controlled the ball with his chest, turned skillfully and lobbed the ball into the goal to put the home side 1-0 up.
Vegalta, aiming to return to the first division for the first time in six years, attempted to rally in the second half by sending in former Japan forward Tomoyuki Hirase from the bench after the break.
But Matsuura helped Jubilo widen the lead in the 71st minute with a solo effort. The teenager latched on to a feed from Yuichi Komano, drove up the right flank, beat a Sendai defender as he cut into the box and neatly chipped the ball past advancing Sendai goalkeeper Takuto Hayashi.
Sendai continued to attack and put the Jubilo players under pressure in the latter stages of the game. Defender Naoki Chiba hit from close range but was denied by a sharp save from Jubilo and Japan goalkeeper Yoshikatsu Kawaguchi three minutes from time.
The second division side from Miyagi Prefecture pulled a goal back with Ryan’s free-kick two minutes into stoppage time, but it was too little, too late.
After the final whistle, the Jubilo players celebrated with their fans at Yamaha Stadium.
“It was a pity that we couldn’t earn promotion for our fans, but I’m proud of our team, who never gave up,” Sendai manager Makoto Teguramori said. “What we had to do today was to score goals and win the game. But our goal came too late for us.”
Ooft, who managed Jubilo during their first J. League seasons in 1994-96, commented: “We didn’t play well for the first 20 minutes. Our players may have been nervous. But we started playing better from halfway through the first half, and had good control of the game in the second half. We got good goals from Matsuura. He did a good job for us.”
Ooft then revealed that he will step down from his position when his four-month contract expires at the end of this month.
“Jubilo can go for a fresh start with fresh blood,” the Dutchman said.
The J. League will not have promotion/relegation playoffs next season when Division Two will be expanded to 18 clubs, following the promotion of three Japan Football League clubs – Tochigi SC, Kataller Toyama and Fagiano Okayama. The bottom three clubs in Division One will be relegated while the top three finishers from Division Two will be promoted.