Things remain incredibly tight at the top of the 2025 MEIJI YASUDA J1 LEAGUE table after Sunday’s fixtures in Match Week 24, with Vissel Kobe still in first place but Kashima Antlers and Sanfrecce Hiroshima ensuring they still have the leaders in their sights.
Kashima were the big winners of the day, emerging as 3-2 victors against fellow title hopefuls Kashiwa Reysol after a back-and-forth tie at Mercari Stadium.
Leo Ceara got the scoring started with an outrageous effort from distance in just the fifth minute, before Naomichi Ueda - fresh from helping Japan win the EAFF E-1 Football Championship 2025 Final Korea Republic - made it 2-0 with a header six minutes before half-time.
Tomoya Koyamatsu halved the deficit with a clipped finish just four minutes later, however, and then Yusuke Segawa fired home in the 76th minute to make it 2-2, but Yuta Matsumura made sure of all three points for Kashima when he capitalised upon a defensive error in the fourth minute of injury time.
Kobe remain two points ahead of Kashima though, after they beat Fagiano Okayama 2-1 to extend their unbeaten run to seven games.
Erik gave Kobe the lead after half an hour, before Taisei Miyashiro - another member of the victorious EAFF E-1 Football Championship squad - curled home a beauty to make it 2-0 in the 64th minute. Ataru Esaka claimed Okayama’s consolation in the 95th minute.
Meanwhile, Hiroshima sit just a further two points back in the rankings in fourth after they claimed a routine 2-0 win away to Albirex Niigata.
Shunki Higashi broke the deadlock when he fired in from inside the area in just the second minute at DENKA BIG SWAN STADIUM, with Kosuke Kinoshita adding Hiroshima’s second from close range three minutes into the second half.
Elsewhere, Yokohama F･Marinos lifted themselves off the bottom of the table with a huge three points at Nissan Stadium, defeating Nagoya Grampus 3-0 to move within three points of safety.
Recent signing from 2025 MEIJI YASUDA J2 LEAGUE side IWAKI FC, Kaina Tanimura, got Yokohama F･M up and running with a debut goal in the 35th minute, before Yan Matheus doubled their lead in the second minute of first-half stoppage time and Asahi Uenaka wrapped things up in the 94th minute.
In the day’s other games, Ryuho Kikuchi’s solitary strike secured FC Machida Zelvia a 1-0 win over Tokyo Verdy, Shu Kurata and Deniz Hummet both found the net to earn Gamba Osaka a 2-1 comeback win against Kawasaki Frontale after Yu Kobayashi had opened the scoring, and Shimizu S-Pulse beat Yokohama FC 2-0 thanks to goals from Capixaba and Hikaru Nakahara.
Kashima Antlers vs. Kashiwa Reysol - Game Highlights | 2025 J1 LEAGUE HIGHLIGHTS | MW 24
Fagiano Okayama vs. Vissel Kobe - Game Highlights | 2025 J1 LEAGUE HIGHLIGHTS | MW 24
Albirex Niigata vs. Sanfrecce Hiroshima - Game Highlights | 2025 J1 LEAGUE HIGHLIGHTS | MW 24
Yokohama F•Marinos vs. Nagoya Grampus - Game Highlights | 2025 J1 LEAGUE HIGHLIGHTS | MW 24
Tokyo Verdy vs. FC Machida Zelvia - Game Highlights | 2025 J1 LEAGUE HIGHLIGHTS | MW 24
Gamba Osaka vs. Kawasaki Frontale - Game Highlights | 2025 J1 LEAGUE HIGHLIGHTS | MW 24
Shimizu S-Pulse vs. Yokohama FC - Game Highlights | 2025 J1 LEAGUE HIGHLIGHTS | MW 24
