Match Report
On paper the standings were lopsided — Kashima Antlers 1st with 76 points, Yokohama 18th with 35, 41 apart. Recent form flatters Yokohama's table spot — 13th league-wide over the last five rounds while sitting 18th. Scoring rates set the scale: Kashima Antlers 1.53 scored and 0.82 conceded per game, Yokohama 0.71 and 1.18, with the league averaging 1.2.
Level finishes had become the habit for Kashima Antlers: three in a row. Yokohama's winless run stood at 5. The five-game form split read 9/15 points for Kashima Antlers against 1/15 for Yokohama.
Kashima Soccer Stadium in Kashima, capacity 40,728, hosted the game. Half-time and full-time told different stories: it was 0-0 at the break, before 3 more goals closed it at 2-1.
Goal scorers
Kashima Antlers: K. Chinen (65'), Léo Ceará (62') · Yokohama: Boniface Nduka (67')