J-League does not have a final match when a same team wins both stages. And that’s exactly what happened this year. The Yokohama Marinos, winners of the first stage, reached the season’s title last Saturday after a 2 to 1 victory over the Jubilo Iwata for the 15th and last round. The goals were scored by Kubo and the Brazilian Marquinhos. The attacker Rodrigo Gral scored for the Iwata team, which needed the victory to put the hands on the second stage’s trophy.

The Kashima Antlers, also on the run for the title, gave goodbye to it after tying with the Urawa Reds by 2 to 2. The JEF United was also left behind, even beating the Verdy Tokyo by 2 to 0. Marinos, Jubilo and JEF finished the second stage with the same 26 points. The Yokohama team reached the title due to the goals difference. The Marinos, which were Japanese champions just once, in 1995, had an advantage of 10 goals, four more than JEF’s and five more than Jubilo’s.

The teams relegated to the second division were the Kyoto Purple Sanga and the Vegalta Sendai, respectively with 23 and 24 points accumulated over the two stages. In 2004, J-League’s first division will receive the Albirex Niigata and the Sanfrecce Hiroshima, second division’s champion and runner-up.

J-League’s best striker was the Brazilian attacker Uéslei (Nagoya Grampus Eight), with 22 scored goals, one ahead his compatriot Rodrigo Gral (Jubilo Iwata). Another Brazilian, Emerson (Urawa Reds), Nabisco Cup’s best striker, finished in third, with 18 goals.