F. Marinos bounce back with win at Sanfrecce

Hiroshima – Goals from Daizen Maeda, Yuki Saneto and Leo Ceara brought Yokohama F. Marinos back from a goal down to a 3-1 J-League first-division win against Sanfrecce Hiroshima on Saturday.

At Edion Stadium, second-place Marinos fell behind early in their first league game since their Aug. 28 loss to Kashima Antlers snapped a 13-game unbeaten run.

Douglas Vieira put the hosts ahead in the eighth minute when he buried the rebound after teammate Shunki Higashi’s fierce shot struck the right post.

Tokyo Olympian Maeda equalized in the 36th minute when he redirected a shot from Marcos Junior into the Sanfrecce goal from point-blank range. Defender Saneto stunned the crowd in first-half injury time by connecting with an overhead kick from a corner into the box.

“I could see the defenders following the ball’s flight and thought if I put my boot in the right place I might score,” Saneto said of his first J1 goal in five years.

“I wasn’t able to see if it went in, and I was pretty surprised to find I’d actually scored.”

Leo Ceara locked up the three points for Marinos by scoring with a free kick just before the hour mark.

Marinos moved one point behind leaders Kawasaki Frontale, who have a game in hand. Sagan Tosu moved up to third after Eduardo scored a late winner in a 2-1 home victory over Shimizu S-Pulse. Sagan is on 50 points, 15 behind Marinos, and leads fourth-place Nagoya Grampus on goal difference.

Elsewhere, Junama Delgado’s brace powered Avispa Fukuoka to a 3-0 win at Kashima Antler. Consadole Sapporo won 2-0 at Cerezo Osaka, while Urawa Reds won by the same score at last-place Yokohama FC.

Oita Trinita won 2-0 at home against Shonan Bellmare in a battle between teams fighting to stave off relegation. Bellmare is on 26 points, three clear of the drop zone, while Oita improved to 18th place on 20 points.