Football: Okugawa nets winner off bench again as Kyoto stay top
KAMEOKA, Japan (Kyodo) -- Masaya Okugawa netted the winner off the bench for the second straight game as Kyoto Sanga saw off Yokohama FC 2-1 to stay top of the J-League first division on Friday.
The attacker's 70th-minute strike at Sanga Stadium saw Kyoto remain on 24 points, two points above Kashima Antlers, who have a game in hand, and Urawa Reds, who kept up the pace at the congested top end of the table.
Okugawa, who netted a late winner away to Albirex Niigata last Saturday, entered the fray in the 56th minute and came up with another big moment. Taichi Hara nodded down a long ball and Okugawa turned a defender inside out in the box before sending a left-footed shot into the net.
Kyoto had gone ahead in the 15th minute through Hara when the former Alaves forward fired into the left bottom corner from 20 meters out, but Yokohama FC leveled four minutes after the break as Towa Yamane headed a cross back into the middle for Lukian to scramble home.
The promoted side reacted desperately to the goal from former Red Bull Salzburg and Arminia Bielefeld man Okugawa, but failed to get past Kyoto keeper Gakuji Ota, who produced a string of good saves to keep the visitors on 12 points.
"I've finally produced a positive result at my favorite home venue and in front of the best fans," said Kyoto youth product Okugawa, whose fourth goal of the campaign was his first at home,
Kashima, record eight-time winners, secured their 600th win in the Japanese top flight as they beat Nagoya Grampus 1-0. Nagoya manager Kenta Hasegawa took charge of his 595th game in the J1, also a record as he moved above Mihailo Petrovic.
Urawa beat Sanfrecce Hiroshima 1-0, while Avispa Fukuoka moved up to 20 points with a 1-1 draw with Fagiano Okayama. Machida Zelvia lost three successive games for the first time in the J1 as they went down 1-0 against Shonan Bellmare.
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