Itsuki Someno scored a dramatic late penalty Saturday to secure Tokyo Verdy's return to the J. League's top flight for the first time since 2008 with a 1-1 draw against Shimizu S-Pulse in the promotion playoff final.
Hosting the final as the top-ranked side in the playoffs for teams finishing third through sixth in the J2, Verdy needed only a draw to clinch promotion at Tokyo's National Stadium.
But the club, which won the first two J. League championships as Verdy Kawasaki in 1993 and 1994, looked set for elimination in front of 53,264 before grabbing the vital equalizer in the sixth minute of added time.