TOKYO: Defender Hotaru Yamaguchi scored the only goal to give Cerezo Osaka a 1-0 win over FC Tokyo yesterday, sharing top place with J-League leaders Yokohama Marinos.

Yamaguchi received a pass from Takumi Minamino in the area to fire an eight-meter shot two minutes into the second half for the decider, while their tight defense kept Tokyo attacks at bay.

“We couldn’t win such a close game last season. It was a goal scored by everybody’s effort,” said Yamaguchi.

It was Osaka’s third straight win this season to be tied for the lead on nine points with Yokohama, who won 2-1 against Jubilo Iwata through two goals by Yuzo Kurihara and Shingo Hyodo.

“I’m just glad that we took three straight wins from the start of the season and three points from the home win.” said Yokohama coach Yasuhiro Higuchi.

Urawa Red Diamonds trailed the two teams on seven points after a 2-2 draw with Oita Trinita, followed by FC Tokyo on six points.

In other games, Vegalta Sendai finally gained their first win of the season when they defeated Kashiwa Reysol 2-1, while Sagan Tosu faced quite a scare before beating Kawasaki Frontale 5-4.

Albirex Niigata scored an equalizer in injury time to draw with Omiya Ardija 1-1, while Shimizu S-Pulse held Shonan Bellmare to a 1-1 draw. Nagoya Grampus squeezed to a 1-0 victory over Ventforet Kofu thanks to Yuki Honda’s decider in injury time.