Kawasaki Frontale clung to the slimmest hopes of a third straight J. League crown Saturday, handing the Kashima Antlers a 2-0 defeat that dented the eight-time champions' own title aspirations.
Former Antlers defender Kazuya Yamamura and Tatsuya Hasegawa scored against the momentum in the second half at Kashima Stadium to secure the crucial victory and drag Kashima from the top spot down to third.
FC Tokyo returned to the top of the table following a 1-0 win at Jubilo Iwata, while Yokohama F. Marinos climbed one place to second after beating Consadole Sapporo 4-2.