Six months ago the suggestion that Kashima Antlers would be crowned double winners in Japan seemed ludicrous. Yet with the long campaign having wrapped up with the season-ending Emperor's Cup final on New Year's Day, Kashima Antlers stand alone as the dominant force in Japanese football.

Kashima predictably beat Sanfrecce Hiroshima 2-0 in front of a packed National Stadium in Tokyo, with young defender Atsuto Uchida and surprisingly Brazilian misfit Danilo scoring the goals.

Kashima had reached the final with a clinical 1-0 victory over Kawasaki Frontale three days earlier, with Masashi Motoyama's stupendous volley belying the fact that the Antlers spent almost the entire match doing everything possible to dampen the attacking threat of Kawasaki's Juninho and Chong Te-Se.

Sanfrecce Hiroshima sprung an upset in beating Gamba Osaka 3-1 at Ecopa Stadium in the other semi-final, but while plenty of hearts hoped for another Hiroshima upset in the final, there were just as many heads that predicted a routine Kashima victory.

So it turned out, as flying defender Atsusto Uchida continued Kashima's trend of relying upon goals from anyone but their strike force of Yuzo Tashiro and the pedestrian Marquinhos. Uchida smashed an unstoppable opener in the ninth minute, as fans tuning in on TV settled in for an afternoon feast of Kashima casually knocking the ball around for eighty minutes in an attempt to hold on to a one goal lead.

Kashima were never really threatened, and with NHK switching to a shot of the suspended Yosuke Kashiwagi sitting high in the stands every sixty seconds or so, the point that Hiroshima would have presented far more of an attacking threat with the effervescent Kashiwagi in their side was made with all the subtlety of a sledgehammer.

This being Japan, all that was left - besides the final whistle, was an appropriate cameo from Kashima's aging veteran Atsushi Yanagisawa. Kashima's club captain appears to be on his way out of the Ibaraki giants, with his average of about two league goals every five or so seasons not even satisfying the often goal-shy Antlers these days. Nevertheless Yanagisawa came on to set up a second goal for perhaps the only player at the club even less effective than he, as Brazilian midfielder Danilo surprised everyone by proving that he does indeed know what a football looks like, as he smacked the round thing into the back of the net in stoppage time.

So Kashima end the season as by far-and-away Japan's best team. Urawa fans will probably disagree - why wouldn't they, when their club can afford to splash out a cool 300 million yen for the likes of Oita Trinita's star Tsukasa Umesaki? The trophy count tells the tale, however, and while Urawa end the season as Asian champions, it's Kashima who have trumped them as they end the season as double winners in Japan, and deservedly so.

The 2007 Emperor's Cup has been whittled down to just four, following the completion of the quarter-finals last weekend.

The last eight kicked-off with Gamba Osaka beating Shimizu S-Pulse 1-0 in extra-time at Nagai Stadium in Osaka, thanks to substitute Shinichi Terada's 92nd minute strike. The win ends Shimizu's hopes of playing a semi-final on home territory (of sorts), with the semi-final on their side of the draw scheduled to take place at Ecopa Stadium in Fukuroi - some seventy kilometres from the town of Shimizu.

Saturday's second quarter-final saw Japan Football League side Honda FC take on Kashima Antlers at Yurtec Stadium in Sendai. Non-leaguers Honda took newly crowned J-League champions Kashima to extra-time, before finally succumbing to veteran Atsushi Yanagisawa - who is reportedly on the move to newly promoted Kyoto Sanga FC, and who scored a 110th minute winner to keep Kashima's hopes of a League and Cup double alive.

In keeping with the Japan Football Association's infuriating policy of scheduling Emperor's Cup fixtures in baffling venues, the third quarter-final was long set down to take place at Saitama Stadium. Clearly the JFA and its Urawa-loving President Saburo Kawabuchi were banking on the Reds reaching the quarter-final stage. No one told Ehime FC, however, and the J2 side unceremoniously dumped defending champions Urawa out of the competition back in Round 4.

After beating Yokohama FC in the last round, Ehime FC's run finally came to an end at the hands of Kawasaki Frontale, who won 2-0 but who could probably have wracked up a cricket score if they had actually been trying. These two sides last met in J2 back in 2004, but these days Ehime and Kawasaki are world's apart, with Kengo Nakamura, Juninho and co. having transformed Kawasaki into one of the hottest teams in Japanese football.

The final quarter-final saw two of Japan's most dismal performers go head-to-head in a clash that was surely marketed as "The Match-Up Of The Mediocre!" FC Tokyo will proudly go home in the knowledge that they are perhaps the only team this season to make Sanfrecce Hiroshima look good, as Hiroshima came away from Kumamoto Stadium with a 2-0 win thanks to goals form Yosuke Kashiwagi and Yuichi Komano, both of whom are rumoured to be heading for the exit door at newly relegated Hiroshima.

Gamba Osaka will thus meet Sanfrecce Hiroshima at Ecopa Stadium, while Kawasaki take on Kashima in what appears to be a far more appealing contest at the National Stadium in Tokyo, with both ties taking place on December 29. Three days later the National Stadium will be rocking for the Final, as the long Japanese season draws to a close with the traditional New Year's day Emperor's Cup final.

Sometimes it's just not your day. That's certainly what the students of Meiji University must have been thinking at around a quarter-to-four yesterday afternoon, after their football team had held Shimizu S-Pulse to an heroic 3-3 draw in the Fourth Round of the Emperor's Cup, only to lose on penalties.

How Shimizu managed to conjure a miraculous escape against the Kanto League part-timers will forever be a source of conjecture for the Nihondaira faithful, but the fact of the matter is that Shimizu are now in the hat for the Fifth Round of Japan's oldest sporting competition. For 120 minutes of a pulsating, thrill-a-minute clash, however, that never looked likely to be the case.

The two teams certainly looked mis-matched when they took to the pitch. For perhaps the first time in his career Shimizu's midget-like Brazilian Fernandinho was actually taller than someone, with Meiji University's left-midfielder seeming to stand around four foot tall! Appearances can be deceptive, however, and any doubts about Meiji University's talent were dispelled when the students bundled J2 side Kyoto Sanga FC out in the Third Round of the competition.

And after weathering an early onslaught, Meiji took the game to their illustrious rivals - taking a shock lead ten minutes before half-time, following a superb right-wing counter-attack. That prompted fury from Shimizu's hardcore fans, who responded with muted boos when their team left the pitch.

S-Pulse coach Kenta Hasegawa withdrew Korean star Cho Jae-Jin for the pacy Takuro Yajima at half-time, with most inside the stadium and watching on broadcaster NHK expecting Shimizu to make short shrift of Meiji's plucky resistance in the second half. Wishful thinking perhaps, as Meiji spurned several glorious chances to take a deserved two goal lead. It took until fifteen minutes from time for midfielder Akihiro Hyodo to thump home an emphatic equaliser, to the visible relief of those dressed in orange.

With eight minutes remaining, man-of-the-match Naoki Aoyama produced what could politely be described as a "defender's finish," simply bludgeoning the ball home from around ten yards out, after he had been thrown into the attack as a makeshift centre forward. Several locals began to head for the exits, but their confidence was misplaced. Deep into stoppage time Meiji received a free-kick on the edge of the penalty area, and throwing everyone forward they managed to loop a header over the hapless Kaito Yamamoto to send the game into extra-time.

The drama didn't stop there, and for the second time in the match, Japan's Olympic goalkeeper Yamamoto failed to cover himself in glory, as he was beaten just before the half-time interval in extra-time, with Meiji taking the lead for the first time in the match. It took Shimizu until five minutes from time to equalise, when the bullocking Aoyama powered a header home to send this breathless match to penalties.

As is so often in football's version of Russian Roulette, it was the woodwork that separated these two sides, with Meiji's second penalty thundering into the crossbar with Yamamoto well beaten. The Shizuoka side were flawless from the spot, but the response from both team and fans said it all after Akinori Nishizawa had converted his side's final kick. Shimizu fans gave their side the frostiest of after-match receptions - just one week after the team had been lauded as heroes for their outstanding 3-1 win over Gamba Osaka at the same venue. Instead the Shimizu fans reserved their applause for Meiji University, who were given a deserved standing ovation from all sections of Nihondaira Stadium.

Shimizu will now take on Kanagawa giants Yokohama F. Marinos in the Fifth Round, with the Tokyo-based Meiji University left to ponder what might have been. They came within an inch of producing undoubtedly the upset of the season, but as so often happens in knock-out Cup competitions, it was simply a case of so near, yet so far.

 

Gamba Osaka have won the 2007 Nabisco League Cup in Japan, beating Kawasaki Frontale 1-0 in front of 41,569 fans at the National Stadium in Tokyo.

Japan under-20 international Michihiro Yasuda scored the only goal of the game, sliding in at the far post to produce a scrappy finish to Bare's low cross.

Gamba had to withstand an early onslaught from Kawasaki - who were playing in only their second major final, but ultimately the Osakans deserved their win.

They were denied a seemingly cast-iron penalty by referee Toshimitsu Yoshida midway through the first half when Kawasaki shot-stopper Eiji Kawashima up-ended Gamba midfielder Takahiro Futagawa inside the box.

Gamba also hit the post through their elusive Brazilian marksman Magno Alves in the second half, as they eventually began to assert their superiority.

Gamba's next appointment is a Fourth Round Emperor's Cup clash with J2 strugglers Montedio Yamagata on November 7, but for the rest of the Japan, the Emperor's Cup action takes place this weekend.

With Urawa Reds hosting Shikoku side Ehime FC of J2 and Omiya Ardija taking on J1 cellar dwellars Yokohama FC, there's a potential Saitama derby looming on the horizon in the next round.

Elsewhere there's an all J1 clash between JEF United and Oita Trinita, while Yokohama F. Marinos take on Japan Football League high-fliers Sagawa Kyubin. There's an Ibaraki derby between neighbours Kashima Antlers and Mito Hollyhock, while Sagan Tosu travel to the crucible of Big Swan Stadium for their clash with Albirex Niigata.

The students of Juntendo University and Meiji University are also still involved. Juntendo knocked out J2 promotion hopefuls Vegalta Sendai in Round Three to book themselves a date with Jubilo Iwata, while Meiji University take on Jubilo's local rivals Shimizu S-Pulse, after Meiji University beat Kyoto Sanga FC in the last round.

The action wraps up on Wednesday night when Gamba clashes with Montedio Yamagata, while Kawasaki Frontale have a tough looking contest with J2 side Cerezo Osaka to contend with. 

Did you know that the average armadillo grows to about 75 centimetres (or 30 inches, for you metric-phobes out there) in length? I just looked it up on Wikipedia. I know it's not football related, but I'd give anything not to re-live the 2007 Emperor's Cup Final.

It should have been a great game! It wasn't. These things happen in football. Urawa beat Gamba Osaka in the 2007 Emperor's Cup Final in fortuitous circumstances. They were lucky to beat Avispa Fukuoka, Jubilo Iwata and to a lesser extent, Kashima Antlers in the rounds preceeding the Final, so it was hardly surprising that luck should favour the Saitama club on the day.

There would have been no need for luck had Ryuji Bando or Magno Alves done what they are paid to do, and that is put the ball in the back of the net. Magno Alves in particular is a fascinating player to watch. On a day when Urawa's own Brazilian striker was enjoying the sunshine on a Brazilian beach (or maybe he wasn't, but that's where I wanted to be come half-time), Alves had the perfect opportunity to demonstrate the skills that saw him share the golden boot with Washington. Instead he demonstrated the skills that lead many J-League fans to believe that he's not in quite the same class as Washington.

Alves spent most of the match pointing and shouting - sometimes aiming withering glares in the direction of his strike partner Bando, often running this way, sometimes running that, but never running in a direction that was going to assist Gamba Osaka in any particular way. In fact, Alves seemed to exert most of his energy in trying to get out of the way of actually doing something useful. When the ball did land at his feet, he seemed startled, and would either pass it straight to a Urawa defender, or otherwise reel off one the hopelessly inaccurate shots that seem to be the forté of his game.

Perhaps I'm being a bit harsh on old Alves. He was probably just cold. I know I was cold. As an Aussie, I use to laugh at the descriptions of "bitter cold" when I listened to the FA Cup Third Round on the World Service as a youngster. That is until I experienced it myself. Once, in a feat of idiocy I am yet to match, I ventured out to the Südstadion to cheer on the hapless Fortuna Köln in the derby against Fortuna Düsseldorf. Fortuna Köln were in such desperate need of support, I concluded, that I decided to make my jersey visible. So I piled layer upon layer of clothing under my jersey and set out for the game. It snowed. I nearly caught hypothermia. Freezing, I went to leave five minutes before the end, but turned on my heel at the gate and stood just long enough to watch Frank Süs score a last minute winner. Bless him for it, because if he hadn't scored that goal then I might never have watched football again.

Now where was I? Ah yes, the Emperor's Cup Final. It was boring. I mean, it had its moments, such as Akira Kaji heading the ball straight at ex-Gamba goalkeeper Ryota Tsuzuki in the Urawa goal. Or Akihiro Ienaga fashioning some half-decent chances that didn't end up with him infuriatingly taking the wrong option at a vital moment, which he seems to have a tendency to do. On the whole though, the entire game was tedious.

It might have been more memorable if it was settled by a cracking pile-driver, two minutes from the end. Instead it was settled by a scrappy counter-attack, when substitute Masayuki Okano burst through what appeared to an optimistic 0-0-10 formation on Gamba's part, to send in a low cross to Yuichiro Nagai - who was deputising for Washington up front. The Brazilian marksman probably would have blasted a hole in the back of the net, but Nagai prefers a more subtle option, so he subtly fired the ball straight at Naoki Matsuyo with all the power of a weak kitten. Matsuyo rather unhelpfully diverted the ball straight into the goal, to send the majority of the 46,880 strong crowd into spasms of wild relief. No one could have put up with another thirty minutes of that in extra-time.

And so, Urawa Reds become the first team to win the double since Kashima Antlers in 2000. The match also marked the end of Guido Buchwald's three years in charge at the club. He returns to Germany having successfully retained the Emperor's Cup that Urawa won for the first time last season, not to mention having guided the club to their first ever J-League crown. Midfielder Alessandro Santos has also left Urawa to sign with Salzburg in Austria, where he will be joined by Gamba Osaka's popular defender Tsuneyasu Miyamoto. Miyamoto was no doubt distraught at not having ended his Gamba career by lifting the Emperor's Cup for the first time in the club's history. This is a match that Miyamoto will no doubt not look back on with fond memories. But hey, at least he didn't have to watch it!

In my last blog, I hypothesized that Urawa Reds couldn't possibly receive more help in their quest to retain the Emperor's Cup. I was wrong.

In their dramatic 10-9 penalty shoot-out quarter-final win over Jubilo Iwata, Urawa's substitute midfielder Tomoyuki Sakai had his spot-kick saved by Jubilo's stand-in goalkeeper Yohei Sato. For some inexplicable reason, referee Masayoshi Okada ordered the spot-kick to be retaken. Sakai converted at the second attempt, and Jubilo defender Yusuke Inuzuka was the unfortunate player to miss, rolling his penalty wide to ultimately hand Urawa a semi-final birth, after a pulsating 3-3 draw in normal time.

Urawa used that let-off to maximum effect, beating Kashima Antlers 2-1 in Saturday's semi-final, to book a grudge match against Gamba Osaka in the Emperor's Cup Final in Tokyo on New Year's Day. You might remember that it was Gamba who came to Fortress Saitama, in the hope of claiming an improbable victory (by three goals, no less) on the last day of the J-League season, to regain the J-League title they won in 2005. Urawa ended up prevailing in that match to clinch the 2006 J-League crown, and the Osaka outfit will be hell bent on extracting revenge.

Gamba booked their own place in the final with a comfortable 2-1 win over Second Division club Consadole Sapporo in the other semi-final. The win means that talismanic captain Tsuneyasu Miyamoto - who lead Japan at both the 2002 and 2006 FIFA World Cups, will play at least one more match in the blue and black jersey. The tenacious defender set up Masafumi Maeda's winner against Sapporo, but he will join fellow Japan international and former Urawa midfielder Alessandro Santos at Red Bull Salzburg in Austria, next season.

The other man calling it a day - in what will be an emotional send-off at the National Stadium in Tokyo, is Urawa's popular German manager Guido Buchwald. After finally leading the Saitama club to the J-League crown they so desperately desired, Buchwald has decided to return to Germany to spend more time with his family. Holger Osiek will return for his second spell in charge at Urawa, and the players will be keen to send Buchwald off as a winner and impress their new coach. One man will have to miss out though, and emotions will be high, as fans of both Buchwald and Gamba's Miyamoto urge their heroes on to victory.

At any rate, to say that this is a highly anticipated affair would be an understatement. The National Stadium will be rocking, as both Urawa and Gamba look to end their seasons on a cracking high, and start 2007 on a winning note.

Internacional have won. Ronaldinho has gone home. The stands have all been cleared. But if you listen closely, you'll notice that the football fields of Japan are still resonating - not quite to the sounds of samba, but to football nonetheless. For the Emperor's Cup has rolled into town, and if you happen to be Urawa Reds, it looks like it will be staying there for quite some time.

The quarter-finalists for this year's Emperor's Cup have been decided, after some fascinating encounters in the recent Round of 16. The JFA have found a new way to meddle with the Cup draw this season, awarding home ties to all First Division clubs when they entered the field in Round 4. No surprises then, that seven of the eight clubs that have made it to the quarter-finals are J1 teams.

The one exception are J2 club Consadole Sapporo. After overcoming reigning League Cup holders JEF United in Round 4, the northerners then battled their way to a dramatic penalty shoot-out victory over Albirex Niigata in the Round of 16. Their reward is a tie against Ventforet Kofu, who hammered Kawasaki Frontale 5-2 in their Round of 16 encounter. Thanks to the vagaries of the JFA's scheduling format, the Sapporo - Kofu tie will take place at Yurtec Stadium, home of Sapporo's J2 rivals Vegalta Sendai.

It's not a subject that I profess to be an expert on, but for some reason, the JFA schedules a number of Emperor's Cup matches per round in various regional cities throughout Japan. I think that it's a noble and worthwhile idea to expose towns that don't have professional clubs to big-time football. Towns and cities such as Okayama, Nagasaki and Marugame all successfully hosted matches in the Round of 16. But I begin to scratch my head when I see Sapporo take on Kofu in Sendai. I also struggle to comprehend why Gamba Osaka would take on Yokohama F. Marinos at the dilapidated Universiade Memorial Stadium in Kobe, when the town of Kobe just witnessed its own club win promotion to the top flight! But that's football in Japan.

In its convoluted way, the draw is supposed to offer some semblence of fairness, with each club supposedly receiving at least one home match each. That semblence of fairness tends to disintegrate, however, when you realise that Urawa Reds have been handed a home tie for ALL of their Emperor's Cup matches! So much for the spirit of the underdog! If there was one club in Japan that doesn't need help from above, it's Urawa.

Having said that, it's not as though the clubs that do play the majority of their Emperor's Cup matches at home draw large crowds. Knock-out football doesn't tend to grip this country until New Year's Day, when a packed National Stadium in Tokyo rocks as the two Emperor's Cup finalists do battle. The Emperor's Cup is, after all, the oldest sporting tournament still in existence in Japan, and the final has traditionally been played on New Year's Day since 1969.

Anyway, I'm probably just sore because my team, Shimizu S-Pulse, are playing over a thousand kilometres away in Kumamoto, on Japan's southernmost island Kyushu. Shimizu saw off FC Tokyo 3-2 in extra-time in the last round, and they meet Kashima Antlers this weekend, after Kashima saw off Nagoya Grampus Eight 2-1. The final match-up sees Urawa Reds take on Jubilo Iwata at - you guessed it, Saitama Stadium, for a place in the semi-finals.