KAWASAKI (Kyodo) Kawasaki Frontale spurned a chance to move into the top three Wednesday night when they were held to a scoreless draw at home by lowly Omiya Ardija as J. League action got under way again after the World Cup finals. Both sides struggled to get out of first gear and there were few clear-cut chances. Meanwhile, at Expo Stadium, Gamba Osaka and Kyoto Sanga battled to a 1-1 draw in rain-sodden conditions.
Cerezo Osaka, meanwhile, pulled off the day's outstanding result by trouncing Sanfrecce Hiroshima 5-0 away in a mid-table clash. A second-half opener by Akihiro Ienaga shortly after the break was followed by a four-goal blitz in the space of 10 minutes, with Brazilian midfielder Amaral, Daisuke Takahashi and Ryuji Bando also getting on the scoresheet.
In the night's other game, Kashima Antlers moved into second place with a 1-0 home win over Shonan Bellmare, courtesy of a 9th-minute strike by Takuya Nozawa.