On an exciting evening in the J-League, champions Urawa Red Diamonds moved into 1st place for the 1st time this season after Gamba Osaka dropped 2 unlikely points at bottom club Yokohama FC.
Urawa had no such problems and thrashed Ventforet Kofu 4-1. The game was over as a contest by the break with the visitors leading 3-0. Ventforet pulled a goal back only after the restart however were always 2nd best and Tatsuya Tanaka sealed the triumph after 63 minutes.
Tanaka also got the ball rolling after 6 minutes.Keita Suzuki and the in-form Yuichiro Nagai were the other scorers.
When Yasuhito Endo gave Gamba Osaka the lead midway through the 2nd half at the hapless Yokohama FC, the odds were on an away triumph however only 2 minutes later the hosts were level thanks to Tukumi Wada and the game finished 1-1.
With Kashima Antlers in 3rd and 4th placed Albirex Niigata in action Sunday evening, Yokohama F Marinos picked up a 4th straight win, a 3-0 win at Nagoya Grampus Eight, to move above Albirex into 4th.
Shimizu S-Pulse are in 5th after a 3-1 triumph over the inconsistent Kawasaki Frontale.
At the bottom, Sanfrecce Hiroshima won the 6 pointer with fellow strugglers Oita Trinita 2-0 and JEF United moved further away from trouble with a 3-2 win over Jubilo Iwata.
Elsewhere, Kashiwa Reysol jump 2 places from 9th to 7th with after a 1-0 triumph at FC Tokyo.
In the 1st full round of action in Japan after a 6 week summer break, the story was the 8-1 thrashing that Yokohama F Marinos handed out to city rivals Yokohama FC.
In only the 2nd ever meeting between the 2 clubs, 6 of the goals came in the 2nd half as the Marinos turned the screw on the visitors in front of over 60,000 fans.
Yokohama FC are still 6 points adrift at the bottom of the league and looking at a swift return to the 2nd tier.
Hideo Oshima put the Marinos ahead on the half hour and Daisuke Sakata made it 2 only before the break.
The 3 time champions went to town in the 2nd half. Oshima helped himself to 3 more goals after the break. Koji Namase scored a brace and brother Yukihiro got one.
At the top of the pile, Gamba Osaka extended their lead to 4 points with a 3-1 home triumph against Albirex Niigata. A 1st half own goal got the leaders on their way before Brazilian hotshot Bare made it 2-0 only before the hour. Akira Kaji added a 3rd with 12 minutes remaining before the visitors grabbed a late consolation.
Urawa Reds in 2nd will see their 1-1 draw against Kashiwa Reysol as 2 points dropped especially as Tatsuya Tanaka gave the champions a 60th minute lead. Just 9 minutes later however, Masahiro Koga earned a point for the visitors.
Jubilo Iwata could have gone 3rd with a triumph however were thrashed 4-0 by Vissel Kobe whilst Kawasaki Frontale move up into 5th place with a 3-1 triumph at struggling JEF United thanks to a hat trick from Brazilian player Juninho.
Elsewhere, Oita Trinita moved out of the relegation zone with a 2-1 triumph at FC Tokyo whilst Omiya Ardija picked up a valuable point with a 2-2 draw at Shimizu S-Pulse.
On Sunday, Nagoya Grampus 8 host Sanfrecce Hiroshima whilst Kashima Antlers take on Ventforet Kofu.
