TOKYO: Kawasaki Frontale retained the J1 League title despite losing 2-1 at Cerezo Osaka on Saturday, the defending champions clinching a second-ever top-flight championship when their nearest rivals also lost.
Osaka striker Kazuya Yamamura scored the winner in the fourth minute of injury time but with Sanfrecce Hiroshima falling to a 1-0 home defeat to Vegalta Sendai, Toru Oniki’s team clinched the title with two games remaining.
Kawasaki hold an unassailable seven-point lead at the top of the 18-team standings after 32 rounds, ensuring they became the first club since Hiroshima in 2013 to win consecutive titles.