2018 Kashima Antlers season

Kashima Antlers
2018 season
ManagerGo Oiwa
StadiumKashima Soccer Stadium
J1 League3rd
Emperor's CupSemi-finals
League CupSemi-finals
Champions LeagueWinners
FIFA Club World CupFourth place
Top goalscorerLeague: Yuma Suzuki (11)
All: Yuma Suzuki (17)
← 2017
2019 →

The 2018 season was Kashima Antlers's 26th consecutive season in the J1 League since professional football was established in Japan in 1993. In addition to the domestic league, the club also competed in the Emperor's Cup, J.League Cup, and AFC Champions League. They won the latter trophy securing their first ever Champions League trophy in their first appearance in the final.

Squad

The Kashima Antlers squad for the 2018 season.

As of 10 January 2018.[1]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK South Korea KOR Kwoun Sun-tae
2 DF Japan JPN Atsuto Uchida
3 DF Japan JPN Gen Shoji
4 MF Brazil BRA Léo Silva
5 DF Japan JPN Naomichi Ueda
6 MF Japan JPN Ryota Nagaki
7 FW Brazil BRA Pedro Junior
8 MF Japan JPN Shoma Doi
9 FW Japan JPN Yuma Suzuki
10 FW Japan JPN Mu Kanazaki
11 MF Brazil BRA Leandro Moura
13 MF Japan JPN Atsutaka Nakamura
14 FW Japan JPN Takeshi Kanamori
15 DF Japan JPN Yuto Misao
16 DF Japan JPN Shuto Yamamoto
19 FW Japan JPN Kazuma Yamaguchi
No. Pos. Nation Player
20 MF Japan JPN Kento Misao
21 GK Japan JPN Hitoshi Sogahata
22 DF Japan JPN Daigo Nishi
23 DF Japan JPN Itsuki Oda
24 DF Japan JPN Yukitoshi Ito
25 MF Japan JPN Yasushi Endo
26 MF Japan JPN Kazune Kubota
28 DF Japan JPN Koki Machida
29 GK Japan JPN Shinichiro Kawamata
30 FW Japan JPN Hiroki Abe
31 GK Japan JPN Yuya Oki
32 DF Japan JPN Koki Anzai
36 MF Japan JPN Toshiya Tanaka
39 DF Japan JPN Tomoya Inukai
40 MF Japan JPN Mitsuo Ogasawara (captain)

Out on loan

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
17 DF Brazil BRA Bueno (at Tokushima Vortis)
— MF Japan JPN Taiki Hirato (at Machida Zelvia)
— MF Japan JPN Taro Sugimoto (at Tokushima Vortis)
— FW Japan JPN Yuki Kakita (at Zweigen Kanazawa)

Competitions

J1 League

Main article: 2018 J1 League

League table

Pos Team
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification or relegation
1 Kawasaki Frontale (C) 34 21 6 7 57 27 +30 69 Qualification for the Champions League group stage
2 Sanfrecce Hiroshima 34 17 6 11 47 35 +12 57 Qualification for the Champions League play-off round
3 Kashima Antlers 34 16 8 10 50 39 +11 56
4 Consadole Sapporo 34 15 10 9 48 48 0 55
5 Urawa Red Diamonds 34 14 9 11 51 39 +12 51 Qualification for the Champions League group stage[a]
Source: Meiji Yasuda J1 League
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored
(C) Champions
Notes:
  1. ^ Urawa Red Diamonds qualified for the 2019 AFC Champions League group stage as 2018 Emperor's Cup winners.

Matches

[2]

Match Date Team Score Team Venue Attendance
1 2018.02.25 Shimizu S-Pulse 0–0 Kashima Antlers IAI Stadium Nihondaira 19,632
2 2018.03.03 Kashima Antlers 1–0 Gamba Osaka Kashima Soccer Stadium 24,545
3 2018.03.10 Kashima Antlers 0–1 Sanfrecce Hiroshima Kashima Soccer Stadium 16,799
4 2018.03.18 Sagan Tosu 0–1 Kashima Antlers Best Amenity Stadium 17,757
5 2018.03.31 Kashima Antlers 0–0 Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo Kashima Soccer Stadium 19,629
6 2018.04.07 Shonan Bellmare 2–1 Kashima Antlers Shonan BMW Stadium Hiratsuka 13,947
7 2018.04.11 FC Tokyo 2–1 Kashima Antlers Ajinomoto Stadium 17,260
8 2018.04.14 Kashima Antlers 2–0 Nagoya Grampus Kashima Soccer Stadium 17,921
9 2018.04.21 Kawasaki Frontale 4–1 Kashima Antlers Kawasaki Todoroki Stadium 24,358
10 2018.04.25 Kashima Antlers 1–1 Vissel Kobe Kashima Soccer Stadium 7,672
11 2018.04.28 Yokohama F. Marinos 3–0 Kashima Antlers Nissan Stadium 27,348
12 2018.05.02 Kashima Antlers 2–1 V-Varen Nagasaki Kashima Soccer Stadium 11,848
13 2018.05.05 Kashima Antlers 1–0 Urawa Reds Kashima Soccer Stadium 33,647
15 2018.05.20 Kashima Antlers 1–2 Vegalta Sendai Kashima Soccer Stadium 23,942
16 2018.07.18 Júbilo Iwata 3–3 Kashima Antlers Yamaha Stadium 13,577
17 2018.07.22 Kashima Antlers 6–2 Kashiwa Reysol Kashima Soccer Stadium 24,480
14 2018.07.25 Cerezo Osaka 0–2 Kashima Antlers Yanmar Stadium Nagai 16,631
18 2018.07.28 Gamba Osaka 1–1 Kashima Antlers Panasonic Stadium Suita 28,534
19 2018.08.01 Kashima Antlers 1–2 FC Tokyo Kashima Soccer Stadium 12,643
20 2018.08.05 Kashima Antlers 1–0 Shimizu S-Pulse Kashima Soccer Stadium 19,119
21 2018.08.11 Nagoya Grampus 4–2 Kashima Antlers Toyota Stadium 43,579
22 2018.08.15 V-Varen Nagasaki 1–2 Kashima Antlers Transcosmos Stadium Nagasaki 12,328
23 2018.08.19 Kashima Antlers 1–0 Yokohama F. Marinos Kashima Soccer Stadium 21,178
24 2018.08.24 Kashima Antlers 1–1 Júbilo Iwata Kashima Soccer Stadium 13,575
25 2018.09.01 Sanfrecce Hiroshima 3–1 Kashima Antlers Edion Stadium Hiroshima 13,107
26 2018.09.14 Kashima Antlers 2–1 Shonan Bellmare Kashima Soccer Stadium 10,728
27 2018.09.23 Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo 0–2 Kashima Antlers Sapporo Dome 21,074
28 2018.09.29 Vissel Kobe 0–5 Kashima Antlers Noevir Stadium Kobe 23,774
29 2018.10.07 Kashima Antlers 0–0 Kawasaki Frontale Kashima Soccer Stadium 31,798
30 2018.10.20 Urawa Reds 3–1 Kashima Antlers Saitama Stadium 2002 46,893
31 2018.10.31 Kashima Antlers 1–0 Cerezo Osaka Kashima Soccer Stadium 9,233
32 2018.11.06 Kashiwa Reysol 2–3 Kashima Antlers Sankyo Frontier Kashiwa Stadium 9,255
33 2018.11.24 Vegalta Sendai 0–3 Kashima Antlers Yurtec Stadium Sendai 19,152
34 2018.12.01 Kashima Antlers 0–0 Sagan Tosu Kashima Soccer Stadium 31,619

Emperor's Cup

Main article: 2018 Emperor's Cup

Second round

6 June 2018 Kashima Antlers 6–1Honda FCKashima Soccer Stadium, Kashima
19:00 Report Attendance: 3,172
Referee: Yudai Yamamoto

Third round

11 July 2018 Kashima Antlers 5–1Machida ZelviaMachida Stadium, Machida
18:30 Report Attendance: 5,589

Fourth round

26 September 2018 Kashima Antlers 2–0 (a.e.t.)Sanfrecce HiroshimaKashima Soccer Stadium, Kashima
19:00 Silva 96'
Misao 117'		 Report Attendance: 3,832
Referee: Toru Kakinuma

Quarter-final

21 November 2018 Kashima Antlers 1–0Ventforet KofuYamanashi Chuo Bank Stadium, Kōfu
19:03
Report Attendance: 6,243
Referee: Yuichi Nishimura

Semi-final

5 December 2018 Urawa Red Diamonds 1–0 Kashima Antlers Kashima Soccer Stadium, Kashima
19:04 Maurício 27' Report Attendance: 13,949
Referee: Koichiro Fukushima

J.League Cup

Main article: 2018 J.League Cup

Quarter-final

5 September 2018 (2018-09-05) Kashima Antlers 1–1 Kawasaki Frontale Kashima Soccer Stadium, Kashima
19:04 Nishi 19' 32' (pen.) Chinen Attendance: 7,145
Referee: M. Īda
9 September 2018 (2018-09-09) Kawasaki Frontale 1–3 Kashima Antlers Ajinomoto Stadium, Chōfu
19:03 Abe 51' (pen.) 28', 37' Yamamoto
72' Serginho		 Attendance: 19,214
Referee: M. Yamamoto

Kashima Antlers won 4–2 on aggregate.

Semi-final

10 October 2018 (2018-10-10) Kashima Antlers 1–2 Yokohama F. Marinos Kashima Soccer Stadium, Kashima
19:03 Inukai 90+4' Report Amano 77'
Vieira 90+5'		 Attendance: 8,421
Referee: M. Matsuo
14 October 2018 (2018-10-14) Yokohama F. Marinos 2–2 Kashima Antlers Nissan Stadium, Yokohama
14:04 Vieira 20'
Nakagawa 34'		 Report Doi 62'
Serginho 70'		 Attendance: 12,979
Referee: M. Satō

Yokohama F. Marinos won 4–3 on aggregate.

AFC Champions League

Main article: 2018 AFC Champions League

Group stage

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 South Korea Suwon Samsung Bluewings 6 3 1 2 8 7 +1 10 Round of 16
2 Kashima Antlers 6 2 3 1 8 6 +2 9
3 Australia Sydney FC 6 1 3 2 7 8 −1 6
4 China Shanghai Shenhua 6 0 5 1 6 8 −2 5
Source: AFC
Rules for classification: Group stage tiebreakers
14 February 2018 (2018-02-14) Kashima Antlers 1–1 China Shanghai Shenhua Kashima Soccer Stadium, Kashima
19:00 UTC+9
Live Report
Stats Report
Attendance: 9,192
Referee: Muhammad Taqi (Singapore)
21 February 2018 (2018-02-21) Suwon Samsung Bluewings South Korea 1–2 Kashima Antlers Suwon World Cup Stadium, Suwon
19:00 UTC+9
Live Report
Stats Report
Attendance: 4,870
Referee: Abdulrahman Al-Jassim (Qatar)
7 March 2018 (2018-03-07) Sydney FC Australia 0–2 Kashima Antlers Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney
19:30 UTC+11 Live Report
Stats Report
Attendance: 6,442
Referee: Ahmed Al-Kaf (Oman)
13 March 2018 (2018-03-13) Kashima Antlers 1–1 Australia Sydney FC Kashima Soccer Stadium, Kashima
19:00 UTC+9
Live Report
Stats Report
Attendance: 8,636
Referee: Khamis Al-Marri (Qatar)
3 April 2018 (2018-04-03) Shanghai Shenhua China 2–2 Kashima Antlers Hongkou Football Stadium, Shanghai
20:00 UTC+8
Live Report
Stats Report
Attendance: 20,028
Referee: Mohd Amirul Izwan Yaacob (Malaysia)
17 April 2018 (2018-04-17) Kashima Antlers 0–1 South Korea Suwon Samsung Bluewings Kashima Soccer Stadium, Kashima
19:00 UTC+9 Live Report
Stats Report
Attendance: 6,229
Referee: Ammar Al-Jeneibi (United Arab Emirates)

Round of 16

9 May 2018 (2018-05-09) Kashima Antlers 3–1 China Shanghai SIPG Kashima Soccer Stadium, Kashima
19:00 UTC+9
Live Report
Stats Report
Attendance: 8,860
Referee: Ilgiz Tantashev (Uzbekistan)
16 May 2018 (2018-05-16) Shanghai SIPG China 2–1 Kashima Antlers Shanghai Stadium, Shanghai
20:00 UTC+8
Live Report
Stats Report
Attendance: 19,697
Referee: Mohammed Abdulla (United Arab Emirates)

Kashima Antlers won 4–3 on aggregate.

Quarter-final

28 August 2018 (2018-08-28) Kashima Antlers 2–0 China Tianjin Quanjian Kashima Soccer Stadium, Kashima
19:00 UTC+9
Live Report
Stats Report		 Attendance: 13,634
Referee: Adham Makhadmeh (Jordan)
18 September 2018 (2018-09-18) Tianjin Quanjian China 0–3 Kashima Antlers Estádio Campo Desportivo, Macau[note 1]
19:30 UTC+8 Live Report
Stats Report
Attendance: 8,718
Referee: Chris Beath (Australia)

Kashima Antlers won 5–0 on aggregate.

Semi-final

3 October 2018 (2018-10-03) Kashima Antlers 3–2 South Korea Suwon Samsung Bluewings Kashima Soccer Stadium, Kashima
19:00 UTC+9
Live Report
Stats Report
Attendance: 13,044
Referee: Nawaf Shukralla (Bahrain)
24 October 2018 (2018-10-24) Suwon Samsung Bluewings South Korea 3–3 Kashima Antlers Suwon World Cup Stadium, Suwon
19:00 UTC+9
Live Report
Stats Report
Attendance: 10,296
Referee: Mark Geiger (United States)[4]

Kashima Antlers won 6–5 on aggregate.

Final

FIFA President Gianni Infantino and more than 100,000 fans watching the 2018 AFC Champions League Final at Azadi Stadium.
Main article: 2018 AFC Champions League Final

In the final, the two semi-final winners played each other, with the order of legs (first leg hosted by team from the East Region, second leg hosted by team from the West Region) reversed from the previous season's final.

Kashima Antlers Japan2–0Iran Persepolis
 Live Report
Stats Report
Attendance: 35,022
Referee: Ma Ning (China)
Persepolis Iran0–0Japan Kashima Antlers
Live Report
Stats Report
Attendance: 100,000
Referee: Ahmed Al-Kaf (Oman)

Kashima Antlers won 2–0 on aggregate.

References

  1. ^ "Players" (in Japanese). Kashima Antlers Official Website. Retrieved 10 January 2018.
  2. ^ J.League
  3. ^ "亚足联官宣权健亚冠主场移师澳门 不在天津举行". Sina Sports. 3 September 2018.
  4. ^ "Geiger to lead ref crew at AFC Champions League semifinal". Major League Soccer. 19 October 2018.
  1. ^ The Tianjin Quanjian v Kashima Antlers match was played in Estádio Campo Desportivo, Macau instead of Tianjin Olympic Center Stadium, Tianjin.[3]