YOKOHAMA -- One of the arguments against the J. League having a two-stage format is that the first-stage champion spends the entire second stage coasting.
The Yokohama F. Marinos went some way to proving that point early on in the first leg of the J. League Championship in front of 41,595 spectators at International Stadium Yokohama on Saturday.
The Marinos started like they'd just come back from their holidays, but did enough in the end to hold the Kashima Antlers to a 0-0 draw, setting up a grand finale in the second leg at Tokyo's National Stadium next Saturday.