Kawasaki Frontale clinched their first-ever J. League title with a 5-0 win over Omiya Ardija on Saturday, snatching the silverware from under Kashima Antlers' noses on goal difference.
Frontale went into the final day of the season having cut the gap on league-leader Kashima to two points thanks to a 14-game unbeaten run, and knew that their superior goal difference meant a win over already-relegated Omiya at Todoroki Stadium would hand them the title if Antlers failed to beat Jubilo Iwata away from home.
Frontale kept their side of the bargain in emphatic style, with Hiroyuki Abe opening the scoring after just 48 seconds. Yu Kobayashi then notched a hat trick to earn him the J. League's top scorer award with 23 goals, before substitute Tatsuya Hasegawa scored a fifth in the 96th minute.