If there's one team that can stop the Kashima Antlers juggernaut from steam-rolling to a third successive J. League title, it's Kawasaki Frontale. The Kanagawa side geared up for an epic showdown with Kashima on Sunday by beating Gamba Osaka 1-0 at Todoroki Stadium in a rescheduled Round 10 fixture overnight. Youngster Yuji Yabu scored the only goal of the game, setting up a highly anticipated clash with runaway league leaders Kashima in four days time. Kawasaki can cut the deficit at the top of standings to just five points with a win over Kashima, but Gamba's title hopes look all but over after they lost to Kawasaki for the second time in a week.

The national team may never sit atop the FIFA world rankings , while most European fans remain blissfully ignorant of the colourful crowds that pack into grounds to witness one of the most evenly contested leagues in the world. But there's no denying that Japanese football is unique. The J. League fixture list does it's part, and during Golden Week - when a string of public holidays serves to give over-worked salarymen the chance to take some time off - the J. League instead has it's stars working over-time.

The dire fare served up on a beautiful spring evening between Nagoya Grampus and Newcastle Jets was not a great advert for the 2009 Asian Champions League.

J-League News: Gamba top the table going into 'Golden Week' 'Golden week' is a popular time of year in Japan, with many choosing to schedule time off around the several public holidays that take place towards the end of April and the start of May. Far from taking time off, the J-League kicks into over-drive, with some of the biggest clashes in Japanese football whetting the appetite of football fans. On the last weekend in April, 41,283 fans turned out at 'Big Swan' Stadium in Niigata, only to watch in disbelief as home side Albirex Niigata crashed 6-0 to Yokohama F. Marinos.

It's fair to say the first few matches of the 2007 Asian Champions League has been a steep learning curve for all involved down under - and not just the clubs although they've certainly had their eyes widened over the past month or so. The general public, football fans and even the media are all the wiser having been indoctrinated in the ACL experience. Two months ago, the sweeping perception in Australia was that all Asian sides were nippy and elusive and playing there meant invariably battling extreme heat and humidity. Some of these preconceptions have proved correct, of course. But the Australian footballing fraternity now knows for certain that it's going to take a greater degree of seriousness to prevail in the AFC's elite competition.

J-League: Kashiwa Reysol the unexpected table-toppers After five rounds of the J-League, newly promoted side Kashiwa Reysol are the unexpected table-toppers. Kashiwa beat Yokohama F. Marinos 2-0 in a heated encounter at Nissan Stadium in Yokohama on April 7, courtesy of goals from Tatsuya Suzuki and Yukihiko Sato. The match was notable for referee Hiroshi Tanabe's decision to disallow a Koji Yamase strike just before half-time. Tanabe claimed that Yamase had committed a foul in the lead up to the goal, but video replays suggest that Yamase's goal was legitimate. Elsewhere in J1 Gamba Osaka came from behind twice to draw 2-2 with Kawasaki Frontale, in front of 18,587 fans at a rain-soaked Expo '70 Stadium in Osaka. Hiroyuki Taniguchi opened the scoring for Kawasaki, only for Tomokazu Myojin to hit back for the home team. Brazilian midfielder Magnum - who has been in excellent form in 2007, restored Kawasaki's lead, but an eighty-third minute strike from defender Satoshi Yamaguchi restored parity for Gamba Osaka, who are currently lying in second on the J-League table. A crowd of 45,025 braved the rain at Saitama Stadium, to witness home team Urawa Reds come from behind to beat Jubilo Iwata 2-1. Robert Cullen opened the scoring for the visitors, but goals either side of half-time from Washington and Robson Ponte secured all three points for the Reds. In Sunday's action, Shimizu S-Pulse ground out a hard fought 2-0 win over Oita Trinita, thanks to goals from defender Daisuke Ichikawa and South Korean international Cho Jae-Jin. JEF United recorded their first league win of the season, with an emphatic 4-0 victory over Yokohama FC. Goals from Koki Mizuno, Seiichiro Maki, Naotake Hanyu and Satoru Yamagishi moved United out of the drop zone and up to thirteenth place on the J-League table. In J2 news, northern outfit Vegalta Sendai are on top of the table, despite only managing a 2-2 draw away at Tokushima Vortis in the latest round of matches. Kyoto Sanga FC, who were relegated from J1 last season, beat fallen giants Tokyo Verdy 3-1 in Tokyo, to move up to second in the standings. They are equal on points with Consadole Sapporo, who drew 0-0 at home against Avispa Fukuoka - another club relegated from J1 last season. Tokyo Verdy and Fukuoka round out the top five, while Cerezo Osaka are in seventh on the J2 ladder. Nabisco League Cup The opening group stage of the League Cup has passed the midway point and after four games, the groups are beginning to take shape. In Group A, JEF United lost 1-0 at home to Gamba Osaka in the latest round of matches, however they still top the group with nine points. Gamba are second with seven points. After beating Vissel Kobe 1-0 in Kobe in their last match, Sanfrecce Hiroshima have six points, but Kobe have virtually been eliminated from the tournament having picked up just one point so far. Group B is tighter, with Omiya Ardija currently on top with eight points. Yokohama F. Marinos and Kashiwa Reysol each have five points, but Shimizu S-Pulse look likely to be knocked out at the group stage for the second season in a row, as they have only managed two draws in the competition thus far. Oita Trinita top Group C with nine points, with FC Tokyo on seven points and Yokohama FC on six. Jubilo Iwata are propping up the group having picked up just one point. With Shimizu S-Pulse unlikely to progress from Group B, the 2007 League Cup has been an unhappy hunting ground for teams from Shizuoka Prefecture - the footballing heartland of Japan. Ventforet Kofu lost their first match in the League Cup to Albirex Niigata, but they are still topping Ground D with nine points. Niigata are in second with seven, Kashima Antlers have six points, but Nagoya Grampus Eight have been all but eliminated from the competition, having picked up just a solitary point so far. Six clubs will progress from the group stage to the quarter-finals, where they will join Kawasaki Frontale and Urawa Reds, who have been given a bye into the last eight of the competition. Asian Champions League In the Asian Champions League, Urawa Reds beat Shanghai Shenhua United in front of 28,828 fans at Saitama Stadium. Yuki Abe scored the only goal of the game, outjumping the Shanghai defence to head home from Robson Ponte's accurate free-kick on the stroke of half-time.

Nabisco League Cup: Defending champions JEF United race out of the blocks The J-League was in recess last week, as the opening fixtures of the League Cup took centre stage. Contested by J1 clubs only, the League Cup kicks off with a six-game Group stage. The talking point after two games has been the form of three teams currently struggling in the J-League. JEF United have picked up just one point in the J-League so far, but they have recorded two successive wins in their League Cup Group A, defeating Vissel Kobe 4-1 in Kobe, before returning to Chiba to defeat Sanfrecce Hiroshima 2-1. Omiya Ardija have also recorded two wins in Group B, beating Yokohama F. Marinos 1-0 in Yokohama, before their 2-1 home victory over Kashiwa Reysol at Komaba Stadium. In Group D, Ventforet Kofu took on Nagoya Grampus Eight twice in the space of four days. Nagoya - who were missing Frode Johnsen and Kim Jung-Woo through international duty, succumbed both times, losing 2-1 in Kofu and 1-0 in Nagoya, to a team that is yet to score a goal in the J-League this season. Oita Trinita top Group C after two successive victories. They beat Yokohama FC 1-0 at home, before defeating a troubled FC Tokyo 2-0 in the capital. The next round of matches will take place on Wednesday, April 4. Asian Champions League Japan's two representatives in the Asian Champions League, Urawa Reds and Kawasaki Frontale, have both been given automatic passage into the last eight of the League Cup competition.