Kashima beat Gamba Osaka 2-0 for first win in five as Kashiwa go top of J1
In short
Kashima Antlers beat Gamba Osaka 2-0 in round 9 of the J1 League on October 9 with goals from Leo Ceara and Yuma Suzuki, ending a five-match run without a win. Gamba Osaka lost for a fourth straight match. In the round's other match, Kashiwa beat Kobe 4-2 and moved to the top of the table.
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Kashima Antlers beat Gamba Osaka 2-0 at home in round 9 of the 2026/27 Meiji Yasuda J1 League on October 9, their first win in five matches, Mynavi News reported. Gamba Osaka lost for a fourth consecutive match and have now gone eight league games without a win, the outlet said. [ 1 ]
Kashima appeared to take the lead in the 37th minute when Minato Yoshida (吉田湊海) scored from a goalmouth scramble after a pass from Yuma Suzuki and a cut-back from Gaku Shibasaki, but the goal was ruled out after an on-field video review for a foul by Yoshida on Gamba goalkeeper Jun Ichimori (一森純). In the 45th+4 minute Takashi Usami hit the crossbar for Gamba. In the 45th+7 minute Leo Ceara headed in a cross from Rikuto Hirose (広瀬陸斗) to put Kashima ahead at half-time. [ 1 ]
Gamba brought on Deniz Hümmet (デニス・ヒュメット) and Issam Jebali (イッサム・ジェバリ) in the 57th minute. Three minutes later Kashima picked up a loose ball from a set piece inside the box, Naomichi Ueda and Kento Misao (三竿健斗) combined, and Suzuki's shot went in after Ichimori failed to keep it out. In the 86th minute Kashima goalkeeper Tomoki Hayakawa (早川友基) stopped Hümmet after he got behind the defence. [ 1 ]
Kashima opened the season with four straight wins, the first time in 18 years, but then took one draw and three defeats from four matches and were eighth before the break for the international week, according to Mynavi News. Gamba Osaka were 16th, with their last league win coming on the opening day against Urawa Reds. Tokyo Shimbun said Kashima now have 16 points. [ 1 , 6 ]
In the other round 9 match on October 9, Kashiwa beat Kobe 4-2 for a third straight win and moved to the top of the table with 21 points, ending Kobe's five-match winning streak and leaving them two points behind, Tokyo Shimbun reported. The paper said Kashiwa's Shoro Tojima (戸嶋祥郎), 31, came on during the match and played at centre-back for the first time as a professional; a Nikkei headline described him as a defensive midfielder. [ 5 , 6 , 8 ]
The next round is on October 17, when Kashima host V-Varen Nagasaki and Gamba Osaka play away at Shimizu S-Pulse. [ 1 ]
Why it matters
The win lifts Kashima to 16 points after a run of one draw and three defeats, while Gamba Osaka, 16th before the match, have now gone eight league games without a win, according to Mynavi News. Kashiwa's victory ended Kobe's five-match winning streak and put Kashiwa two points clear at the top, Tokyo Shimbun reported.
Key facts
- Kashima Antlers beat Gamba Osaka 2-0 in round 9 of the 2026/27 Meiji Yasuda J1 League on October 9. [ 1 , 2 , 5 , 6 ]
- It was Kashima's first win in five matches. [ 1 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 ]
- Leo Ceara scored in first-half stoppage time and Yuma Suzuki added a second in the 60th minute. [ 1 ]
- Gamba Osaka lost for a fourth consecutive match and are eight league games without a win. [ 1 ]
- Kashiwa beat Kobe 4-2 for a third straight win and moved top of J1 with 21 points. [ 5 , 6 ]
- Kobe's five-match winning streak ended, leaving them two points behind Kashiwa. [ 6 ]
- Kashima have 16 points after the win. [ 6 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- Kashima beat Gamba Osaka 2-0. [ 1 , 2 , 5 , 6 ]
- Kashima won for the first time in five matches. [ 1 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 ]
- Gamba Osaka lost a fourth consecutive match. [ 1 , 5 , 6 ]
- Kashiwa beat Kobe 4-2 and moved to the top of J1. [ 5 , 6 ]
- Kashiwa scored four goals and took first place. [ 4 , 7 , 8 ]
- Kashiwa won a third consecutive match. [ 3 , 6 ]
Still unclear
- Which position Kashiwa's Shoro Tojima (戸嶋祥郎) played against Kobe. Tokyo Shimbun said he played centre-back for the first time as a professional, while a Nikkei headline described him as a defensive midfielder (volante).
- Details of Kashiwa's goals against Kobe. None of the documents names the scorers or describes the goals.
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- Mynavi News publishes its report on Kashima's 2-0 win over Gamba Osaka. [ 1 ]
- Jiji Press reports the 2-0 result. [ 2 ]
- Sankei Shimbun reports Kashiwa's 4-2 win over Kobe, Kashima's win and Gamba's fourth straight defeat. [ 5 ]
- Tokyo Shimbun reports on the round, highlighting Kashiwa's Shoro Tojima. [ 6 ]