An impressive start from the less-fancied teams while the big guns struggled gave the early J. League table something of an upside-down appearance. Few expected it to last, but with almost a third of the season played, the underdogs continue to bark the loudest.

Kashiwa Reysol lead Vegalta Sendai by two points at the top of the table going into Saturday's games, with Sanfrecce Hiroshima and Yokohama F. Marinos snapping at their heels.

Kashiwa's 3-0 humbling at home to Jubilo Iwata on Wednesday could be read as evidence that the bubble has finally burst for last season's second-division champions, but the impressive nature of its campaign so far suggests it may have been simply the exception rather than the rule.