Montedio Yamagata picked up three crucial points in their bid to beat the drop with a deserved 2-0 win at fellow strugglers Avispa Fukuoka in the J. League first division on Sunday.
Masaru Akiba opened the scoring in the first half with a rasping drive and substitute Yu Hasegawa finished Fukuoka off 18 minutes from time at Level-5 Stadium to give the visitors their first win in seven matches.
Yamagata moved within seven points of safety while rock bottom Fukuoka, with just eight points from 18 games, look increasingly likely to make a swift return to the wilderness of J2.