The 2016 MEIJI YASUDA J2 League continued its race toward the climax, with 10 matches taking place on Sunday afternoon.

In a battle between two clubs looking for an upper hand in the promotion race, Kohei Kudo’s 24th-minute goal gave second place Matsumoto Yamaga a 1-0 win over Shimizu S-Pulse, who fell to fifth after Fagiano Okayama drew 0-0 with V-Varen Nagasaki.

Cerezo Osaka stayed a point behind the second and final automatic J1 spot with a 1-0 victory at Tokushima Vortis thanks to a late effort by Kenyu Sugimoto.

Kamatamare Sanuki’s Tetsuya Kijima dealt Yokohama FC a blow to their hunt for a Promotion Playoff spot, netting the lone goal of the match in his team’s 1-0 home win. The visitors fell a further point behind Kyoto Sanga, who finished in a scoreless draw with last place Giravanz Kitakyushu.

The final match of the round will take place on Monday night when Consadole Sapporo host Machida Zelvia.