Omiya Ardija ruined Kiyoshi Okuma's second coming as FC Tokyo manager with a 1-0 win that plunged the capital city club even deeper into the relegation quagmire on Saturday.
Former national team assistant Okuma this week returned to the club that he led from non-league to J. League first division in the late '90s, with sacked predecessor Hiroshi Jofuku paying the price for a poor run of results that saw Tokyo start the day third from bottom in the table.
But any hopes of an instant turnaround were resolutely shot down at Ajinomoto Stadium. Omiya striker Rafael served warning with a second-half shot that appeared to cross the goal-line but was not given, moments before Jun Kanakubo headed in the winner in the 73rd minute.