Eddy Bosnar struck a pair of thunderbolt free kicks and Naohiro Takahara returned to haunt his former team as Shimizu S-Pulse beat Urawa Reds 3-1 on Saturday night to keep the 2006 J. League champions mired near the foot of the table.
Reds went into the game at Saitama Stadium third from bottom having won only once this season, and Australian defender Bosnar made the home side's task all the more difficult with a long-range blast in the 24th minute.
Takahara, who endured a frustrating 2½-year spell at Urawa after moving from Eintracht Frankfurt in 2008, then doubled S-Pulse's lead midway through the second half, and although substitute Tsukasa Umesaki pulled one back with 10 minutes to go, Bosnar hammered in another free kick to leave Reds manager Zeljko Petrovic facing an uncertain future after only 11 games in charge.