Vegalta Sendai enjoyed a fairy tale return to J. League action as Jiro Kamata scored an 87th-minute winner to give the stricken Miyagi Prefecture side a 2-1 victory over Kawasaki Frontale on Saturday.
Without a home since the March 11 earthquake and tsunami damaged their stadium and training facilities, Vegalta had been preparing for the return of the suspended season with training camps in Chiba and Saitama. That looked like it had taken its toll when Yusuke Tanaka gave Frontale a first-half lead at Todoroki Stadium, but with the support of fans who had made the journey from the devastated Tohoku region behind them, accepting defeat was never an option for Vegalta.
Yoshiaki Ota lashed home a deflected 73rd-minute equalizer as the visitors found their second wind, and Kamata completed a remarkable turnaround when he headed in Ryang Yong Gi's free kick with three minutes left on the clock.
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