Urawa Reds all but surrendered the J. League title to Yokohama F. Marinos after a 3-1 defeat to Kawasaki Frontale on Saturday.
Second-place Urawa went into the game at Saitama Stadium trailing league-leaders Marinos by a single point, but goals from Frontale's Jeci and Yoshito Okubo and an own goal from Urawa's Tomoaki Makino sank the home side and allowed Marinos to open up a four-point gap with two games remaining after a 1-0 win over Jubilo Iwata.
Third-place Sanfrecce Hiroshima lost 1-0 to Cerezo Osaka and fourth-place Kashima Antlers crashed to a late 2-1 defeat against Sagan Tosu, meaning Marinos can clinch their first championship since 2004 with a win at home to Albirex Niigata next Saturday.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.