J. League front-runners Urawa Reds thrashed relegation-threatened local rivals Omiya Ardija 4-0 on Saturday to extend their lead at the top of the table.
Tsukasa Umesaki opened the scoring midway through the first half before Shinzo Koroki notched a second three minutes later, and Ryota Moriwaki and Tomoya Ugajin added two more after the break to give Urawa a comfortable three points in front of 42,308 at Saitama Stadium.
A 2-2 draw for second-place Sagan Tosu against Shimizu S-Pulse allowed Urawa to open up a three-point gap at the top of the table, while third-place Kashima Antlers also lost ground in the title race after a 2-2 draw with FC Tokyo.