KYOTO (Kyodo) — Goals from defender Eduardo and striker Elber on either side of halftime and some strong defending sent Yokohama F Marinos five points clear at the top of the J-League first division after Wednesday’s 2-1 away win against Kyoto Sanga.
With both teams attacking furiously in the opening minutes, Eduardo headed in a corner in the 25th minute as Marinos exploited a pair of defensive lapses from the hosts at Sanga Stadium.
The corner came after a blocked shot was made possible when a defender failed to collect a pass, causing keeper Naoto Kamifukumoto to glare at his teammates and suggest they keep their eyes open.
The warning did little good, however, on the following corner from the left. Eduardo, stationed well beyond the far post, waited until his marker, Rikito Inoue, turned his back on him and ran to defend the goal.
The Brazilian then sprinted into space and scored with a header.
“We’ve been really practicing those set plays the last four weeks, and it’s great to be able to make that work pay off in games,” Eduardo said.
In the 50th minute, Kamifukumoto punched a blocked shot clear of the penalty area to Elber, who chipped the prone keeper for Marinos’ second.
Sanga threw three attackers on the hour, but the visitors were up to the extra pressure.
The hosts’ lone goal, in the 87th minute, came with a sense of deja vu. Marinos keeper Yohei Takaoka blocked a shot, punching it to Daiki Kaneko to drill home.
Two-time defending champions Kawasaki Frontale remained second but lost ground on Marinos after a 1-1 away draw with Nagoya Grampus.
Cerezo Osaka moved up to fourth on 47 points, three behind third-place Sanfrecce Hiroshima, after a 1-0 win at Urawa Reds, while relegation-threatened Vissel Kobe earned a valuable three points in their 2-1 home win over FC Tokyo. .
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