Football: Machida win 3-0 to end Kashiwa's 11-game unbeaten run
Leaders Kashima Antlers held off Shimizu S-Pulse 1-0 for their seventh straight win to move up to 37 points and four points above Kashiwa, while Machida are up to sixth on 24 points with their first win in four games.
Playing on a tricky rain-soaked pitch at Machida Gion Stadium, Kotaro Hayashi scrambled home the opener inside four minutes after Keiya Sento's low drive from 25 meters out was saved by Ryosuke Kojima.
Hayashi was the architect for their second 12 minutes later when he got a return ball following his throw-in down the left and sent a fast cross that hit Kashiwa defender Taiyo Koga to bounce into the net.
Kashiwa, who came into the game with a two-day rest, fell further behind in the first-half stoppage time as Na Sang Ho fired a penalty high into the net after Oh Se Hun was brought down inside the box for the home side.
The visitors, who had won their previous four games, finally had a big chance in the 77th minute, but substitute forward Yuki Kakita could not convert a close-range shot off a left-wing cross on a bounce, summing up a forgettable outing for the entire team.
"We hadn't won at home for quite a while, and I knew the first goal was going to be really important," Hayashi said. "I think we have to win here all the time, and we'll keep working hard."
Elsewhere, third-placed Kyoto Sanga moved up to 31 points after easing to a 3-0 win at bottom side Yokohama F Marinos, who are 10 points off safety after their sixth straight defeat and winless in 10 games.
Sanfrecce Hiroshima are up to 29 points following their late 2-1 comeback win over Tokyo Verdy, level with Urawa Reds, who downed FC Tokyo 3-2.
Yuya Osako hit a brace as Vissel Kobe edged local rivals Gamba Osaka 3-2, Avispa Fukuoka snatched a late 1-1 draw with Nagoya Grampus, and Yokohama FC moved out of the relegation zone with a 1-0 win at Shonan Bellmare.
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