Brazilian duo Sidiclei and Magno Alves helped defending champion Gamba Osaka beat Shimizu S-Pulse 3-0 and close the gap to the front-running Urawa Reds in the J. League on Sunday.
Sidiclei scored following a Takahiro Futagawa corner in the 59th minute, with Magno Alves adding goals in the 77th and 86th minutes.
It was Osaka's first win in five games, leaving it on 59 points after 18 wins, five draws and six defeats. Gamba trails Urawa by three points with five games left in the season for each team.