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Tokyo. Shimizu S-Pulse defender Daisuke Ichikawa scored his team’s only goal against Vissel Kobe on Sunday, securing a 1-0 win and placing it just one point behind leader Vissel Kobe in the J-League.

Kobe was reduced to 10 men in the 55th minute when Korean midfielder Kim Nam Il was issued his second yellow card.

Ichikawa’s goal came in the 82nd minute after he collected a rebound from a corner to help secure the team’s third straight win.

“We sent too many long balls to the front line in the first half, but we created only a few chances on a rebound,” said Shimizu coach Kenta Hasegawa. “We didn’t have a corner kick in the first half but we had several chances in set-piece play in the second half.”

The win moved Shimizu into second in the J-League with 49 points, behind defending champion Kashima on 50 points and ahead of third-placed Gamba Osaka with 46. They are followed by Sanfrecce Hiroshima on 44 points, Albirex Niigata and Kawasaki Frontale on 43 points and Nagoya Grampus on 41 points.

In the only other game on Sunday, Kazuma Watanabe scored a game-deciding goal in first-half injury time to give Yokohama Marinos a 2-1 win over Urawa Red Diamonds.

On Saturday, defending champion Kashima Antlers suffered a humiliating third straight J-League defeat, going down 4-1 to Nagoya Grampus.

Striker Josh Kennedy opened the scoring five minutes into the game when Kashima goalkeeper Hitoshi Sogahata’s attempted save rebounded into the path of the Australian international, who quickly dispatched into the net.

A 13th minute howler from Sogahata then enabled Nagoya to double their lead when a miss kick from the goalkeeper in the area allowed Montenegro’s Igor Burzanovic to snatch the ball before firing into an empty net.

Sogahata’s humiliation was compounded in the 53rd minute when forward Keita Sugimoto headed over the hapless keeper and into the net.

Brazilian forward Marquinhos pulled one back for Kashima in the 74th minute, only for Burzanovic to punish Kashima’s inability to hold onto possession by scoring a fourth in the 83rd minute.

“It’s a fantastic result. We knew it would be a tough game as they are on top of the table, but we knew we have a chance to win,” Kennedy said.

Kashima’s Brazilian coach Oswaldo Oliveira questioned his players’ ability to shake off looming pressure.

“My players have lost confidence since we lost several games in a row,” he said. “They are under heavy pressure after we lost a big lead in the standings.”

Also on Saturday, FC Tokyo beat Jubilo Iwata 3-2, while Omiya Ardija defeated Kyoto Purple Sanga 3-1. Bottom-placed Oita Trinita played out a goalless draw with Kashiwa Reysol.

J-League

Agence France-Presse