Two teams arrived at Sankyo Frontier Kashiwa Stadium in desperate need of a win on Saturday afternoon, and neither found what they were looking for as Kashiwa Reysol and Sagan Tosu battled to a 1-1 draw in the first of the day's J. League action.
Gamba Osaka's 2-1 win at Shimizu S-Pulse on Friday night added some urgency to the affair, with both Tosu and Kashiwa entering the day tied at 29 points in 16th and 17th place respectively, trailing Yokohama F. Marinos on goal difference in the first-division table.
Despite the presence of retired Spain international Fernando Torres in the starting lineup for Tosu and recent Japan call-up Junya Ito on the opposite side, the first half featured little action of note until Yosuke Segawa drove in Ryuta Koike's cross from close range into an empty net.