Once again, Kashima Antlers banked on the experience and savvy that has led to a record eight J. League championships, when they beat Mamelodi Sundowns 2-0 on Sunday to book a place in the Club World Cup semifinals.
While Mu Kanazaki, who came off the bench to score Antlers' second goal, to put the game to bed, was named man of the match, it was goalkeeper Hitoshi Sogahata who gave Kashima the chance to stage its second-half turnaround after sustained pressure from Sundowns in the first half.
Sogahata, at 37, is the club's second oldest player after midfielder Mitsuo Ogasawara. But on Sunday night, Sogahata looked evergreen, producing a string of saves to keep Sundowns off the scoreboard at halftime before Yasushi Endo and Kanazaki secured Antlers' passage into the last four.