Urawa Reds missed the chance to make up ground on Nagoya Grampus at the top of the standings after the Asian club champions were held to a surprise 0-0 draw by local rivals Omiya Ardija in the J. League on Sunday.
Yuichiro Nagai nearly snatched victory in the waning moments of a tightly contested Saitama derby but the Reds had to settle for a point as their four-match winning streak in the league came to an end.
The result kept Urawa in fifth place in the table tied with Yokohama F. Marinos on 13 points from seven games, six behind Grampus who came from behind to beat bottom club JEF United Chiba 3-2 on Saturday. Omiya are in seventh spot, two points further off the pace.