The 3rd placed team took on the cellar-dwelling Antlers looking to put another nail in the coffin of the Kashima giants, but it was not to be today! FC Tokyo lost keeper Gonda around the 30 minute mark as he collected a through ball aimed at Koroki, the Kashima forward sliding in and colliding with the young keeper. He was replaced by Shiota, and Tokyo fans, as well as Japan Olympic fans will be hoping the injury is nothing serious. Shiota soon made his mark, denying that same forward five minutes later and the game remained scoreless at the break.
Kashima finally took the lead in the 66th minute as Endo intercepted some lazy passing on the Tokyo left wing and broke fast. He found Osaka on the right side of the area and he in turn slid the ball across to a free Koroki who dinked the ball over the Tokyo keeper for the lead.
FC Tokyo found the equaliser in the 85th minute when, for the second time in the game – and for the second time he was wrong – the referee decided that a keeper had picked up a back pass. Tanabe blasted the ball home at the third attempt as the ball ricocheted around the six yard box after the free kick was taken.
Kashima got their first win of the season in injury time when a Juninho shot was parried by the keeper but only into the path of Endo, who controlled the ball and blasted it into the empty net.