Kengo Kawamata strengthened his case for inclusion in Japan's World Cup squad with a fabulous strike as Albirex Niigata knocked Kashima Antlers off the J. League summit with a 2-1 victory on Saturday.
Kawamata opened the scoring midway through the first half with a well-taken volley at Kashima Stadium. Shoma Doi leveled just after the half-hour but Niigata snatched all three points and extended its unbeaten streak to five matches when Takeshi Aoki put through his own net with 16 minutes left.
"It a tough game played at a fast pace and the result could have gone either way. There was a lot of goalmouth action and I think it was enjoyable to watch for the fans," said Niigata manager Masaaki Yanagishita, whose side climbed to sixth on 12 points.