Think of them as champions. The Kashima Antlers earned that right before 44,665 fans at Tokyo's National Stadium on Saturday night with a 3-0 win over the Yokohama F. Marinos in the second leg of the J. League Championship final. The win gave them a 3-0 aggregate after last week's 0-0 draw in Yokohama.
It was Kashima's third J. League crown after triumphs in 1996 and 1998. They also won the Nabisco Cup this year. But while you might think of them as champions, you cannot help but think of them with other words that begin with the letter "c."
Yes, naughty ones spring to mind, but "clever," "clinical" and "cynical" all fit the bill. But for all their negative attributes, the Antlers are worthy champions. After an indifferent first stage, in which they finished eighth as they tried to overcome the dismal performances of Brazil striker Bebeto, manager Toninho Cerezo transformed the Ibaraki-based team into a formidable fighting unit.