Vegalta Sendai dealt Yokohama F. Marinos' J. League title ambitions a heavy blow with a come-from-behind 3-1 win on Saturday.
Marinos, starting the day three points behind league-leaders Gamba Osaka in fourth place, looked confident of ending Vegalta's three-game winning streak when Yuzo Kobayashi gave the home side a second-minute lead at Nissan Stadium.
But fifth-place Vegalta hit back through midfielder Makoto Kakuda in the 10th minute, before former national team striker Atsushi Yanagisawa put the visitors in front two minutes later with an excellent looping header.