OSAKA -- The J. League second-stage title race has come down to the wire after the Kashima Antlers and Kashiwa Reysol both won Thursday. The stage champion will now be decided Sunday, the final day of the stage, in a showcase between these two teams at Tokyo's National Stadium.
The Antlers beat Gamba 2-1 in Osaka, putting an end to Gamba's title hopes. Forward Takayuki Suzuki scored one himself and set up Atsushi Yanagisawa's goal in the first half for Kashima's victory. Reysol, meanwhile, rallied past Nagoya Grampus Eight 2-1 at home with second-half goals from Mitsunori Watanabe and Hideaki Kitajima.
With the results, Kashima improved its point total to 32 to Reysol's 31. Gamba remained on 28 points.