TOKYO. Aug 7: Asian club champions Jubilo Iwata slumped to a 3-0 defeat away to Yokohama F Marinos in the

opening match of the J-League's second stage on Friday night, reports Reuters.

Jubilo, who clinched the first stage of the two-stage championship in May. saw their hopes of a winning start to the second half of the season dashed when Marinos' World Cup striker Shoji Jo scored twice in two first-half minutes.

Playing in front of a crowd of 42,798 at the stadium which will host the 2002 World Cup final. Marinos went in front after 36 minutes when Jo climbed well to head home a cross from the right.

In the next minute, Jo beat the offside trap down the right wing and finished clinically from an acute angle.

Marinos sealed victory with a third goal 10 minutes into the second half, scored by World Cup central defender Norio Omura with a flying near-post header.

The defeat marks an ominous start to the second stage for Jubilo, which has seen some of its marquis players leave the team over the past year.

Jubilo. which won the championship for. the only time in 1997, lost Brazilian midfielder Dunga at the end of last season but still managed to win the first stage. Now they must play without World Cup midfielder Hiroshi Nanami, who has joined Venezia in Italy.

Marinos' Spanish manager. Antonio De La Cruz, said the victory over the firststage champions should give his team a lot of confidence for the rest of the campaign.

'To beat a team as good as Jubilo 3-0 is very important in our first game," said De La Cruz.

His opposite number. Ju-bilo's Asian coach of the year Takashi Kuwahara, added, "It was a rout... but at least I know where our problems lie now."

Marinos' new signing, 25-year-old midfielder or forward Igor Jovicevic, from NK Zagreb, was unable to play because his registration had not been cleared in time.

Jovicevic. who began his career with Croatia Zagreb before moving to Real Madrid, has captained the Yugoslav under-18 team and the Croatian under-205.

The J-League's other 14 teams are in action today.

The league is played in two stages, with the winner of each stage meeting in a two-leg playoff in December to decide the champions.