The Yokohama F. Marinos continued to roll at the top of the J. League's first division on Saturday, rallying from a 2-1 deficit to overcome 10-man Avispa Fukuoka 4-2 in Fukuoka.
With Jubilo Iwata falling 2-1 to Gamba Osaka, Cerezo Osaka slipped into second place with a 2-1 victory over FC Tokyo at Tokyo's National Stadium. Shimizu S-Pulse recovered from its 3-0 loss to Avispa last week by edging JEF United Ichihara 1-0 at Nihondaira thanks to a 58th-minute penalty from captain Masaaki Sawanobori. S-Pulse moved up to third place.
The Marinos are top with 24 points, Cerezo has 23 points and S-Pulse, with a game in hand, stands at 22 points. Jubilo and Tokyo remain stuck on 20 points, although Jubilo also has a game in hand. The top two teams have three games remaining.