Three first-half goals carried Sanfrecce Hiroshima to victory in the J.League YBC Levain Cup final on Saturday afternoon, November 1.
Although Hiroshima manager Michael Skibbe's soccer squad allowed a late goal, it was hardly consolation for Kashiwa Reysol.
When the final minute of play was completed, Sanfrecce players walked off the pitch at Tokyo's National Stadium with a 3-1 triumph to celebrate.
A Hayato Araki header in the 25th minute gave Sanfrecce a 1-0 lead. Teammate Shuto Nakano initiated the scoring opportunity with an excellent throw-in from the right touchline.
In the 38th minute, Shunki Higashi made it 2-0 with a well-placed free kick that flew past Reysol goalkeeper Ryosuke Kojima.
A crowd of 62,000-plus spectators attended the championship match for the 33rd edition of the tournament.
Before the first half ended, another throw-in led to another Hiroshima goal ― a post-Halloween nightmare for Kashiwa.
Again, Nakano flung the ball back onto the field after it went out of bounds. And in the second minute of injury time, Nakano's heave linked up with captain Sho Sasaki. Sasaki pounced on the ball with his head, sending a centering pass to Ryo Germain, who booted the bouncing ball past Kojima.
Reysol's Mao Hosoya scored the final goal in the 81st minute.
2nd Levain Cup Title for Sanfrecce Hiroshima
Sanfrecce Hiroshima claimed the J.League Cup title for the second time. The club lifted the trophy for the first time in 2022.
After Saturday's match, Sasaki commented on the team's title-winning performance.
"We played wonderfully from the first half," Sasaki said, according to Kyodo News.
He added, "We showed our strength in scoring from set-pieces, putting into shape the things we've been working on throughout the year."
Keys to Victory, According to Skibbe
Looking back at the 3-1 verdict in the tournament final, Skibbe pointed to a few key factors.
"We managed to play deep in the opponent's half against a strong side," the German boss said. "I'm pleased we scored from set-pieces, which is one of our strengths."
He then said, "I believe our defense kept the opponent away from our goal. At halftime, I told the players to try to play in the opponent's half as much as possible, and I think we achieved that in the second half. Overall, I'm satisfied with the performance."
Skibbe also elaborated on the importance of well-orchestrated plays against a team with stronger physical attributes.
"We've focused on set-pieces, and against opponents like Kashiwa today, who surpass us in physical attributes like size and athleticism, I truly believe they become highly effective," he told reporters.
With Skibbe overseeing the team's tactics, 2025 started out well before the J.League season officially began.
In the Fujifilm Super Cup, the league's annual lidlifter, Sanfrecce Hiroshima defeated Vissel Kobe 2-0 on February 8 at National Stadium.
A Season Update for Sanfrecce Hiroshima
In the 2025 J.League season, Sanfrecce Hiroshima (17-8-10, 59 points) entered November in fifth place among 20 teams.
Skibbe's squad has three matches remaining in the 38-game campaign, starting with a November 9 showdown with the Urawa Reds at Edion Peace Wing Hiroshima.
Meanwhile, second-place Kashiwa Reysol (18-12-5, 66 points) are one point behind the Kashima Antlers (20-7-8, 67 points) in the J.League title chase.
In addition to their domestic competition, Sanfrecce are participating in the 2025-26 AFC Champions League Elite. Up next in the continental tournament: a November 4 league stage match against visiting Gangwon FC.
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Baseball
Fighters' Ito Named Sawamura Award Recipient
Hokkaido Nipponham Fighters pitcher Hiromi Ito was selected to receive the Eiji Sawamura Award for the 2025 NPB season, it was announced on Monday, October 27.
A selection committee chose Ito from among four finalists to honor NPB's best starting pitcher this past season. The others: Shoki Murakami (Hanshin Tigers), Kohei Arihara (Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks) and Katsuki Azuma (Yokohama DeNA BayStars).
In his fifth NPB season, Ito matched his career high for wins, going 14-8 with a 2.52 ERA in 2025. He tied for the NPB lead in victories.
The 28-year-old was No 1 in complete games (six) and innings pitched (196⅔). He walked 29 batters and struck out 195.
Ito has a career win-loss record of 55-41.
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Basketball
Jets Improve to 10-0 in B.League
The Chiba Jets owned the B.League's best record (10-0) entering the second month of the 2025-26 season.
Coach Trevor Gleeson's squad collected its 10th consecutive victory on Wednesday, October 29, a 69-50 road triumph over the Akita Northern Happinets.
In that game, Jets big man John Mooney led the team with 15 points and 15 rebounds. Nassir Little scored 13 points and Yuki Togashi and Yuta Watanabe contributed 11 apiece. Ex-NBA forward Watanabe also had a team-best two blocks.
"First, the start was good. It was great that we were able to go on a 15-point run [in the first quarter]," Gleeson said after the game. "However, I was a little disappointed with the second unit."
He continued: "Until last week, the players coming off the bench were really bringing a lot of energy. But today, I felt like they were a little loose and didn't have their usual energy. We will work on fixing that for the weekend."
The Jets returned to competition with a two-game weekend road series (November 1-2) against the Alvark Tokyo.
After opening the season with four straight losses, the Alvark won six straight before taking on the Jets.
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Hachimura Helps Lakers Open Season with 4-2 Record
Early in the 2025-26 NBA season, veteran forward Rui Hachimura is averaging 15.3 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.8 assists for the Los Angeles Lakers through October 31.
On Halloween night, the Lakers (4-2) defeated the Memphis Grizzlies 117-112. Hachimura had nine points in LA's road win.
The Toyama native scored a season-best 23 points in the Lakers' second game, a blowout win over the Minnesota Timberwolves, on October 24.
Sumo
Aonishiki Promoted to Sekiwake
Ukrainian-born wrestler Aonishiki has moved up to sekiwake, sumo's third-highest rank, for the Kyushu Grand Sumo Tournament in Fukuoka. An announcement was made on Monday, October 27.
The 21-year-old reached sekiwake faster than any wrestler in history, needing only 13 tournaments to ascend from the lowest rung of the sport's six divisions to his current rank.
Konishiki, a native of Hawaii, who became a sekiwake in 14 tournaments, held the previous record. Between 1989 and '93, Konishiki wrestled as an ozeki, sumo's second-highest rank. He retired in 1997.
In 2025, Aonishiki has been a consistently strong grappler, going 11-4 in each of his first four tournaments in the makuuchi division.
"I never imagined I'd get this far," Aonishiki was quoted as saying by Kyodo News. "I've surprised myself, but I want to aim even higher."
Aonishiki returns to competition at the Kyushu Basho, which will be held November 9-23 in Fukuoka.
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Figure Skating
Sato Wins Men's Title at Cup of China
Shun Sato had a strong showing at the Cup of China, starting off with a first-place effort in the short program. The Japanese athlete won the two-day competition with 278.12 points on October 25 in Chongqing, China.
Italy's Daniel Grassl placed second (269.43).
Sato's score included a season-high total in the free skate (183.99). He successfully executed a quadruple lutz, a pair of triple axels and other polished moves during his rendition of "Firebird."
"I am very glad to have achieved my season's best in this competition," said Sato, who also triumphed at the Cup of China in 2024, according to the International Skating Union website.
He then said, "I felt more nervous than in the short program, but I was able to handle myself well in the free skating and I am very satisfied with my performance."
Sota Yamamoto placed ninth.
In the women's competition, Amber Glenn and Alysa Liu of the United States finished first and second, respectively.
Glenn, the reigning Grand Prix Final champion, amassed 214.78 points to win the gold, while Liu finished with 212.07.
Japan's Rinka Watanabe, who was second after the short program, slipped to third overall after placing fifth in the free skate. Watanabe finished with 198.63 points.
Also for Japan, Rino Matsuike was sixth and Hana Yoshida was 10th in the 11-woman field.
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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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