A classy second-half finish from midfielder Takuma Edamura was enough to steer Shimizu S-Pulse to a well-earned victory over Urawa Reds on Sunday and move the Shizuoka side into the top five of the table, but Kashiwa Reysol sank further into trouble at the other end with a 1-0 home defeat by Vissel Kobe.
On a surface made slippery by heavy rain, Urawa and Shimizu both struggled to find their feet. Not until the 20th minute did the first shot on target arrive, when Shinji Okazaki's effort was smartly turned aside by Ryota Tsuzuki Naoaki Aoyama's header from the subsequent corner went narrowly wide.
Just after the half-hour mark, Edmilson had a gilt-edged chance to put the hosts ahead, chesting down a neat ball into the box from Tadaaki Hirakawa, but he blasted the half-volley over the bar. Twice shortly after the break, strike partner Naohiro Takahara came close to putting Reds in front, first with a speculative drive from 20 meters that was narrowly wide, and then just failing to connect for a point-blank header.