Vissel Kobe went top of the J. League for at least 24 hours after an incident-packed 3-2 win over Kashima Antlers on Saturday.
Both sides went into the game at Kashima Stadium knowing that a win would be enough to claim first place with leaders Sanfrecce Hiroshima not playing until Sunday, and goals from Antlers' Yasushi Endo and Vissel's Jung Woo-young sent the teams into halftime on level terms.
A controversial strike from Brazilian striker Davi gave Kashima the lead in the 54th minute, only for Vissel to hit back when Marquinhos scored from the penalty spot following a handball by Takeshi Aoki that earned the Antlers defender a red card.