Shonan Bellmare held on to first place in the 2017 MEIJI YASUDA J2 League on Sunday, defeating Tokyo Verdy 2-0 at home in a strong performance.

Second half goals by Andre Bahia and Hiroki Akino gave the Kanagawa side another three points, extending their unbeaten streak to seven matches with a league-low 17 goals conceded.

Avispa Fukuoka stayed one point behind the leaders with a 3-1 win at Thespa Kusatsu Gunma. Gilsinho, Daisuke Ishizu and Keisuke Iwashita lit up the scoreboard for the visitors, while last-place Thespa could only respond with a goal by striker Shohei Okada.

On Saturday, Yokohama FC ended their six-match winless streak with a 1-0 victory over FC Gifu thanks to Jeong Chung-Geun’s effort shortly after the hour mark.

Yuki Oshitani’s strike gave Nagoya Grampus a narrow 1-0 win over Montedio Yamagata, keeping the Paloma Mizuho Stadium residents in fifth place and handing the visitors their fourth straight loss.

A dramatic stoppage-time goal by Ryosuke Maeda gave Oita Trinita a 2-2 draw at Ehime FC, allowing the Kyushu outfit to stay within one point of the playoff zone.

Fagiano Okayama’s 2-1 win at Zweigen Kanazawa allowed them to climb into 10th place as they extended their unbeaten streak to nine matches.

The second division’s 24th round will take place on Saturday, July 22 and Sunday, July 23.