On the evening of August 11th, the 26th round of the J-League officially kicked off. This round saw numerous upsets, as the top three teams in the standings, Machida Zelvia, Kashima Antlers, and Gamba Osaka, all failed to win.
League leader Machida Zelvia faced relegation-threatened Shonan Bellmare this round, but had two goals disallowed and ultimately lost 0-1 at home. They have only managed one draw and two losses in their last three league matches, showing a clear decline in form.
Kashima Antlers, who were previously in second place, suffered a reversal at the hands of Jubilo Iwata after taking an early lead, losing 1-2 away and missing a good opportunity to close the gap. Gamba Osaka, previously third, drew another blank against Kashiwa Reysol on their travels, failing to score for the fourth game in a row.
Currently, Machida Zelvia remains at the top of the J-League standings with 50 points, Kashima Antlers are in second place, three points behind, while Gamba Osaka, with 46 points, has been overtaken by Sanfrecce Hiroshima on goal difference and has slipped to fourth place.
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