The return of J. League action is unlikely to ease the disappointment for soccer fans still sore from Japan's dismal World Cup showing, but a glut of goals as the league resumed in full on Saturday at least provided a welcome distraction.

Urawa Reds carried on from where they left off when the J. League entered its two-month shutdown in mid-May, beating Albirex Niigata 1-0 on Saturday to stay one point clear of Sagan Tosu at the top of the table. Reds have now kept a clean sheet in each of their last six games, equaling the all-time J. League record set by Shimizu S-Pulse in 1993 and matched by Yokohama Flugels three years later.

"In the first half we played the kind of football that we have been aiming for," Urawa manager Mihailo Petrovic said after a 16th-minute own goal had given his side its 10th win of the season. "We play the ball out calmly from the back and then work it forward with high quality. When we lose the ball, we switch immediately toward trying to win it back.