Vissel Kobe continued their revival under manager Akira Nishino as substitute Yuzo Tashiro pounced to claim a 2-2 draw with Omiya Ardija on Saturday.
Vissel arrived at Nack5 Stadium looking for their fourth win in five games after hiring former J.League and Asian Champions League title-winning Gamba Osaka manager Nishino in late May, and Hideo Tanaka set the Kansai side on its way with the opener in the 20th minute.
But Omiya, itself under new management after bringing in Slovenian Zdenko Verdenik to replace Jun Suzuki last month, replied through teenage striker Shintaro Shimizu six minutes later, before the home side took the lead through Daisuke Watabe midway through the second half.