Mu Kanazaki came off the bench to score an 88th-minute winner as J. League champions Kashima Antlers beat part-timers Auckland City 2-1 on Thursday to advance to the second round of the Club World Cup.
Antlers, who qualified for the tournament by beating Urawa Reds on away goals to clinch their eighth J. League title on Saturday night, fell behind to the Oceania champions when Kim Dae-wook headed home from a free kick in the 50th minute.
But Kashima drew level when substitute Shuhei Akasaki swept home an equalizer in the 67th minute, before Kanazaki, who scored twice against Urawa on Saturday, headed in from Shoma Doi's knock-back with two minutes remaining.
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