Kawasaki Frontale put aside their off-field distractions for an afternoon to produce a much needed win to stay in the J. League title race, defeating Albirex Niigata 3-0 on Friday.
Without captain and reigning league MVP Kengo Nakamura, Hiroyuki Abe stepped up with a goal and a pair of assists to lead Kawasaki to their first victory in five games.
Frontale's first win at Todoroki Stadium in nearly two months came at just the right time, with the club having been penalized a day earlier by the Asian Football Confederation with a $15,000 fine and a one-year probation sentence for their fans' flying of a controversial wartime flag during a recent Asian Champions League match.