Sanfrecce Hiroshima may have had to wait until the J. League's 20th season before winning their first piece of silverware, but after clinching the championship with a resounding win in front of a home crowd on Saturday, the achievement will taste all the sweeter.

Sanfrecce beat Cerezo Osaka 4-1 to capture the title on the penultimate weekend of the season while nearest rival Vegalta Sendai lost to Albirex Niigata, bringing a premature end to a vibrant championship race that looked like it would go down to the wire once again. Vegalta must live with the knowledge that they took only three points from four critical games with a first-ever title within touching distance, but Sanfrecce's dismantling of Cerezo was typical of their season and a fitting way to end the wait for one of the league's original 10 members.

Central to Hiroshima's triumph was striker Hisato Sato, the league's top scorer and the overwhelming candidate to win the player of the year award next Monday. The 30-year-old's speed, agility and poacher's instinct may not fit national team manager Alberto Zaccheroni's profile of a modern target man, but Sato's 22 goals have suited club manager Hajime Moriyasu just fine and set the example for teammates Yojiro Takahagi, Toshihiro Aoyama and Koji and Kazuyuki Morisaki to follow.