Kawasaki Frontale captain Yu Kobayashi said he believed his team was "cursed" when it lost to Cerezo Osaka in last month's J. League Cup final, but that must have made the club's first-ever J. League title all the sweeter when it arrived last weekend.

Frontale clinched the title on Saturday with a 5-0 home win over Omiya Ardija, leapfrogging Kashima Antlers on goal difference on the final day of the season after the now-deposed defending champions could only draw 0-0 at Jubilo Iwata. The title was Frontale's first major trophy, finally marking a change of fortunes for a club that has finished as runner-up in the J. League three times, the League Cup four times and the Emperor's Cup once.

Last month's 2-0 League Cup defeat to Cerezo was particularly difficult for Frontale to swallow, after they dominated the match but lost because of goals conceded in the first and last minutes. But it is a testament to Frontale's resilience that they were able to brush aside the disappointment and hunt Antlers down in the league, finishing with a 15-game unbeaten streak that featured several late comebacks.