Defending J. League champions Nagoya Grampus dug deep to beat Omiya Ardija 3-2 on Saturday and keep themselves firmly in the title shakeup going into the final four games of the season.
Grampus looked to be coasting to victory after Marcus Tulio Tanaka had given them a third-minute lead at Nack5 Stadium, but a two-goal salvo within two second-half minutes from Keigo Higashi and Rafael turned the tables in favor of relegation-threatened Ardija.
Wins for title-chasing Kashiwa Reysol and Gamba Osaka elsewhere in the J. League meant defeat would have been all but fatal for Nagoya's title chances, but Keiji Tamada ensured the champions would live to fight another day with an equalizer in the 77th minute before Josh Kennedy hit the winner with an 84th-minute penalty.