A late goal from Keisuke Ota gave Kashiwa Reysol a well-deserved 2-1 win over Urawa Reds on Saturday as the J. League returned from its summer break in explosive style.
Reds manager Gert Engels fielded his strongest team for the first time this season as Robson Ponte and Alessandro Santos returned from long injury layoffs, but Tadanari Lee gave Kashiwa the lead with a well-taken goal on the half-hour mark.
Urawa looked off the pace as a lively Reysol threatened to score more at National Stadium, but Yuki Abe equalized with a header direct from a free-kick midway through the second half.