Former Arsenal and Sweden star Freddie Ljungberg made his first J. League start but it was Genki Omae that stole the headlines with the winner as Shimizu S-Pulse edged Urawa Reds 1-0 on Saturday.
Nursing a badly bruised toe, Ljungberg was unable to make much of an impact on a scrappy game at Ecopa Stadium but Omae struck the decider midway through the second half to snap S-Pulse's four-game winless league run and pile more pressure on Reds boss Zeljko Petrovic in the process.
"I think it was a difficult match for both teams because it was the third game in a week and because of the condition of the ground," said S-Pulse manager Afshin Ghotbi.