Mu Kanazaki struck in the 50th minute to send Kashima Antlers into the J. League Championship final against Urawa Reds with a 1-0 win over Kawasaki Frontale on Wednesday.
Antlers qualified for the playoffs after finishing third in the overall table — a full 13 points behind second-place Frontale — and would have been eliminated had the match at Todoroki Stadium ended in a draw due to their lower ranking.
But Kanazaki glanced home a header from Shuto Yamamoto's cross to give Kashima the lead early in the second half, and a rock-solid defensive effort took care of the rest to send the seven-time champions into the two-legged final against Urawa.