Ten days after their bid for back-to-back Asian titles came crashing down, the Kashima Antlers were spared another disappointing result on Saturday when Serginho's 50th-minute equalizer earned them a 1-1 draw against visiting Consadole Sapporo.
The Antlers started the day with 51 points, one behind league-leading FC Tokyo, which plays Sunday.
Trailing 1-0 after an early Ryosuke Shindo strike at Kashima Stadium, Serginho bullied his away around a defender before scoring to complete a brilliant three-phase counterattack.