Reigning champions Vissel Kobe were dealt an early setback to their J-league first-division title defense on Saturday, going down 1-0 at home against Kashiwa Reysol.
No teams will start the new season with two wins following Saturday's games. Both Urawa Reds and Tokyo Verdy, who face each other Sunday, lost their openers.
At Kobe's Noevir Stadium, substitute Kosuke Kinoshita's 83rd-minute winner crept in at the near post as tenacious Kashiwa claimed their first win, handing Kobe a defeat in their first home match of the campaign in the process.
Neither side threatened in a first half with no shots on target. Kobe, without manager Takayuki Yoshida due to illness, lost attacker Koya Yuruki in the 32nd minute after he was kneed in the lower back by Kashiwa right-back Hiroki Sekine.
Lackluster Vissel received another blow in the 51st minute when the other scorer from their opening 2-0 win at Jubilo Iwata, Daiju Sasaki, went off with an apparent hamstring issue. Then came the sucker punch.
Kashiwa's Japan forward Mao Hosoya kept the ball in play near the right touchline, allowing Takuya Shimamura to dart forward and send a low cross for fellow substitute Kinoshita. His first-time strike inside the box squirmed into the goal after Kobe keeper Daiya Maekawa could only parry it onto the post.
The match suddenly livened up as Shimamura's close-range shot was cleared off the line by Matheus Thuler in the 85th minute, while a desperate yet unfruitful response from Kobe saw Jean Patric's diving header fly just wide before Yuya Osako's header was denied superbly on the line by Kashiwa keeper Kenta Matsumoto in the dying minutes.
"We knew it would be a tough game against the champions from last season, but I could see my team fighting well from the first half," Kinoshita said.
"We faced some dangerous situations at the end but everyone put their bodies on the line and held on. It's a win we can build on."
Elsewhere, J1 debutants Machida Zelvia got their first top-flight win, 1-0 at Nagoya Grampus through Shota Fujio's goal.
Sagan Tosu thrashed Consadole Sapporo 4-0 at home, while Shonan Bellmare edged Kyoto Sanga 2-1 away. Gamba Osaka saw off Albirex Niigata 1-0 at home.
Kashima Antlers drew 1-1 with Cerezo Osaka at home as did FC Tokyo against Sanfrecce Hiroshima.
