KYOTO -- Vegalta midfielder Nobuyuki Zaizen scored in the last minute Sunday to earn Sendai a 1-0 win over J. League Division Two champion Kyoto Purple Sanga and propel the Miyagi Prefecture team into Division One.
Sendai finished second in the 12-team standings with a 27-5-12 win-draw-loss record for 83 points, beating out its rival Montedio Yamagata on the final day of the season with the win at Kyoto's Nishikyogoku Stadium.
Montedio lost to Kawasaki Frontale 1-0 in extra time at home, to end the season with 80 points on a 27-6-11 record.