Cerezo Osaka were 4-2 victors over Urawa Reds on Saturday night in an early MEIJI YASUDA J1 League Round 22 fixture.

Kenyu Sugimoto snatched the lead for the hosts just six minutes after the opening whistle, doubling it with a clever effort two minutes later.

Reds striker Zlatan cut the deficit to 2-1 in the 18th minute, but goals from Hotaru Yamaguchi and Yusuke Maruhashi put the game far out of reach for Mihailo Petrovic’s side, despite Rafael Silva’s goal in first-half stoppage time.

The result gives Cerezo a four-point lead over Kashima Antlers in the J1 race with 41 points, while Reds remain in eighth place with 29.