Nishimura Hat-Trick Fires Machida to Top Spot; FC Tokyo and Kashiwa Play Out Goalless Draw [Summary: MEIJI YASUDA J1 Matchweek 11]

All 10 Matchweek 11 fixtures in the MEIJI YASUDA J1 LEAGUE were played on 21 October, with Machida moving to the top of the table after beating Shimizu.
 
Machida cruised to a 5-0 away victory over Shimizu, with Neta Lavi opening the scoring in the 35th minute. Koki Ogawa doubled the lead in the 50th before Takuma Nishimura made it 3-0 in the 62nd. After Shimizu were reduced to 10 men, Nishimura added two more goals to complete his hat-trick. Machida's third consecutive win took them to 26 points and sent them top of the standings.
 
Nagasaki claimed an emphatic 4-0 home win over Hiroshima. Hijiri Onaga opened the scoring in the 36th minute, and Matheus Jesus doubled the lead in the 45th. Hiroshima were reduced to 10 men in the 66th minute, before Kenshin Yasuda struck twice to seal the victory. The defeat ended Hiroshima's four-match winning streak and cost them top spot.
 
The clash between FC Tokyo and Kashiwa ended goalless, with neither side able to find a breakthrough. Kawasaki Frontale beat Kobe 2-1 thanks to goals from Marcinho and Tatsuya Ito.
 
At MUFG Stadium, Yokohama F. Marinos took a two-goal lead against Tokyo Verdy through Ryo Miyaichi and Daiya Tono. Tokyo V fought back, however, with Kanya Fujimoto pulling one back in the 73rd minute before Gouki Yamada struck a dramatic equaliser three minutes into stoppage time to earn a 2-2 draw.
 
Nagoya took an early lead through Katsuhiro Nakayama in the third minute but conceded an equaliser in the 62nd as they drew 1-1 with Cerezo Osaka. Kyoto also drew 2-2 at home to Kashima. Haruki Arai put Kyoto ahead in the 16th minute, and although Kashima came from behind to take the lead, Arai struck again seven minutes into stoppage time to rescue a point.
 
Okayama secured a comfortable 2-0 win over Mito, with Ataru Esaka scoring both goals. Gamba Osaka claimed their first win since the opening match with a 2-1 away victory over Fukuoka, thanks to Takashi Usami's 78th-minute winner.
 
Urawa edged Chiba 3-2 at home. Takuro Kaneko opened the scoring in the 19th minute before Chiba equalised in the 32nd. Kenta Nemoto restored Urawa's lead in the 55th, and Shuta Sasa scored for the second consecutive match to make it 3-1 in the 81st. Chiba pulled one back late on, but Urawa held on for the win.

MEIJI YASUDA J1 LEAGUE Standings

■Match Data
FC Tokyo vs Kashiwa
Kawasaki Frontale vs Kobe
Yokohama F. Marinos vs Tokyo Verdy
Shimizu vs Machida
Nagoya vs Cerezo Osaka
Kyoto vs Kashima
Okayama vs Mito
Fukuoka vs Gamba Osaka
Nagasaki vs Hiroshima
Urawa vs Chiba

Click here for the next Matchweek's fixtures