Goals excite fans and it didn't take long for the new J.League season to deliver some excitement.
Cerezo Osaka's Sota Kitano scored the first goal of the 2025 campaign in the seventh minute of the season-opening match on Friday night, February 14.
At Panasonic Stadium Suita, Kitano was in the right place at the right time to boot the ball past Gamba Osaka goalkeeper Jun Ichimori. The 20-year-old forward added another goal in the 46th minute of the Osaka derby, helping Cerezo collect a 5-2 victory.
Also scoring for Cerezo were Shinji Kagawa (52nd minute), Shunta Tanaka (63rd) and Motohiko Nakajima (second-half stoppage time) before an announced crowd of 34,860.
For Gamba, Israeli midfielder Neta Lavi tied it at 1-1 in the 31st minute and Keisuke Kurokawa cut it to 3-2 in the 54th.
Arthur Papas, Cerezo's new Australian manager, was pleased with his team's overall performance.
"It was my first Osaka derby and we played in a great atmosphere," Papas told reporters after the J.League match in Suita, Osaka Prefecture.
"You couldn't ask for a better start, scoring five goals in a derby away from home," Papas was quoted as saying by Kyodo News. "It's a great performance by the players."
After contributing two goals and one assist in Cerezo's first match of the season, Kitano expressed satisfaction.
"It feels good to be honest," Kitano said. "I just heard that I scored the club's 1,200th J1 goal, so I was also happy that I was able to score it."
A Mental Boost for Kitano in the J.League Opener
Kagawa, who is 35, is a veteran leader for Cerezo and one of the most famous players in the J.League. His words of encouragement helped Kitano begin the new season with a dynamic performance.
As Kitano revealed after the match, Kagawa recently told him, "You are absolutely fine now [fitness-wise], so play with confidence."
Helpful, indeed.
"I went into the game today with confidence," Kitano told reporters later.
Gamba outshot Cerezo 16-11 in the J.League opener.
Up next: Gamba vs Avispa Fukuoka on Saturday, February 22 and Cerezo against Shonan Bellmare on the same day.
Disappointing Start for the Reigning Champs
Two-time defending champion Vissel Kobe and the Urawa Reds played to a scoreless draw on Saturday at Noevir Stadium Kobe.
Also Saturday, J1 debutant Fagiano Okayama earned a 2-0 victory over Kyoto Sanga FC, with Daichi Tagmi and Takaya Kimura scoring goals.
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- [ODDS and EVENS] Vissel Kobe Maintained Hunger for Another Title and Fulfilled Their Goal
Track and Field
Racewalker Ikeda Receives a 4-Year Doping Ban
After being provisionally suspended by the Athletics Integrity Unit for a doping rule infraction in November 2024, racewalker Koki Ikeda was handed a four-year ban on Friday, February 14.
Ikeda has vehemently denied that he took a banned substance.
"I have never doped, so I am utterly disappointed," Ikeda said in a statement.
The Shizuoka Prefecture native added, "I have been wrongly accused and I cannot make any sense of it."
In addition to the four-year ban, Ikeda's racewalking results since June 2023 are now deemed invalid.
In its statement on Ikeda's doping ban, the Athletics Integrity Unit said, "Specifically, the matter concerns abnormalities detected in blood samples collected from the athlete on 20 June 2023 and during the period between 16 August and 13 September 2023, which are alleged to indicate blood manipulation."
Ikeda, 26, was the silver medalist in the men's 20-km race walk at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. A year later, he was the runner-up in the same event at the World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Oregon. At the 2024 Paris Olympics, Ikeda finished seventh.
The two-time Olympian is expected to appeal the ban to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
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Golf
Yamashita, Katsu Finish in Top 10 at Founders Cup
Miyuu Yamashita and Minami Katsu finished tied for fourth and seventh, respectively, at the LPGA Tour's Founders Cup in Bradenton, Florida, on Sunday, February 9.
Yamashita, a two-time season champion on the domestic JLPGA Tour, carded a 13-under 271. She shot back-to-back 67s in the second and third rounds at Bradenton Country Club. In the final round, Yamashita shot a 2-under 69.
An LPGA rookie, Yamashita played consistently throughout the tournament.
"The course was pretty difficult but I just stayed in my golf," Yamashita told reporters, "and I'm just happy with my result that I only made two bogeys."
American Yealimi Noh won the tournament with a 21-under 263, earning a four-stroke victory over South Korea's Jin Young Ko.
Japan's Nasa Hataoka, who shot an 11-under 274, and Ayaka Furue, who carded a 9-under 275, tied for 11th and 13th.
Appearing in her second LPGA Tour event in the 2025 season, Rio Takeda, the 2024 JLPGA Tour season champion, finished tied for 45th at 2-under 282.
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Horse Racing
Retired Fan Favorite Sodashi Gives Birth to 1st Foal
Sodashi is now one of the world's most famous mares. The retired all-white thoroughbred gave birth to her first foal on January 30 at Northern Horse Park in Tomakomai, Hokkaido Prefecture, it was announced on Thursday, February 13.
Equinox, who was named the world's top racehorse in 2023, is the foal's sire. The Equinox progeny also has dark features.
World Horse Racing's X (formerly Twitter) account is soliciting name suggestions for the newborn foal.
In my view, the best suggestions so far are Charcoal, So Dashing, Stars Collide and Radiance.
Sodashi's last major victory was at the 2022 Victoria Mile.
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Sports Awards
Matsuyama, Ogiwara Nominated for January's Hickok Belt Award
Golfer Hideki Matsuyama, winner of The Sentry on January 5, and snowboarder Hiroto Ogiwara were among the 10 finalists for January's Hickok Belt Award.
An announcement was made on Wednesday, February 12.
Superstar running back Saquon Barkley of the Philadelphia Eagles was chosen as the winner. A National Sports Media Association panel voted to determine the winner. Barkley led the NFL in rushing (2,005 yards) during the 2024 season. In January, he also shined in the Eagles' three playoff victories en route to clinching a berth in Super Bowl 59.
The Hickok Belt is presented to "the best of the best in pro sports based on each month's performances."
Matsuyama shot 35-under 257 in Kapalua, Hawaii, setting the PGA Tour record for the lowest score for a four-round tournament.
Ogiwara, 19, triumphed at the X Games Aspen in the men's big air event on January 25 in Buttermilk, Colorado. His victory included a first-ever 2340 (6½ rotations) completed in a snowboarding competition.
January's complete list of Hickok Belt Award nominees is posted on the North Carolina-based NSMA's website.
Quote of the Week
"I'll let the team dictate that. I do want to play as many games as possible, but if the team feels I need a break, I'll follow that."
—MLB superstar Shohei Ohtani, addressing the issue of playing time and the Los Angeles Dodgers' role in giving him days off during the 2025 season, The Associated Press reported. Ohtani, who appeared in 159 of 162 Dodgers games in 2024, delivered the remarks at the team's spring training camp in Glendale, Arizona on February 12.
Author: Ed Odeven
Find Ed on JAPAN Forward's dedicated website, SportsLook. Follow his [Japan Sports Notebook] on Sundays, [Odds and Evens] during the week, and X (formerly Twitter) ＠ed_odeven.
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