Gamba Hold Antlers in 0-0 Thriller

Despite the goalless score line, this was a top-notch game with chances for both teams to claim the three points. A draw, however, was a fair reflection of the game as this was a much more even contest than last week's encounter between Urawa and Kashima. On this showing, both teams should give a good account of themselves in the Asian Champions League (ACL) and are likely to be the leading contenders for the J1 title come the end of the season.

This weeks results see Grampus continue to lead the pack, while FC Tokyo have moved up to third. This means, that for the time being at least, the table sees a couple of fresh faces alongside that of the usual candidates Kashima, Osaka, Yokohama and Urawa. How long Nagoya and Tokyo can maintain their high positions remains to be seen, but neither team should falter as badly as they did last year.

Other J1 Results
FC Tokyo 4-2 Kawasaki Frontale
Albirex Niigata 1-0 Kyoto Sanga
Vissel Kobe 1-1 Consadole Sapporo
Kashiwa Reysol 5-1 Tokyo Verdy
Yokohama Marinos 1-1 Shimizu S-Pulse
Urawa Reds 0-0 Omiya Ardija
Jubilo Iwata 1-1 Oita Trinita

Table After 7 Games

   Team         Pts   W/D/L
1  Grampus	   19   6/1/0
2  Antlers       16   5/1/1
3  FC Tokyo      14   4/2/1
4  Marinos       13   4/1/2
5  Urawa Reds    13   4/1/2
6  Gamba         12   3/3/1
7  Ardija        11   3/2/2
8  Sanga         11   3/2/2
9  Reysol        10   3/1/3
10 Vissel         9   2/3/2
11 Trinita        8   2/2/3
12 Frontale       8   2/2/3
13 Jubilo         7   2/1/4
14 Consadole      7   2/1/4
15 S-Pulse        5   1/2/4
16 Albirex        5   1/2/4
17 Verdy          4   1/1/5
18 JEF            2   0/2/5