Naoki Ishihara scored in the second minute to give Vegalta Sendai an early lead in a 2-1 win at Kashima Antlers in the J. League first division on Sunday.
Ishihara opened the scoring when he converted a cross from midfielder Kunimitsu Sekiguchi directly in front of goal at Kashima Stadium. Antlers had a chance to level two minutes later but Ryota Nagaki's close-range shot just missed the post.
"I thought the goal came really early in the game, but having an early lead allowed us to find our rhythm," Ishihara said. "We haven't played well for some time. This is our last match for a while, so we talked about winning at any cost."