Tokyo Verdy stunned Vissel Kobe with a 1-0 away win on Sunday thanks to a second-half own goal, consigning the reigning J-League first-division champions to a second straight defeat.
Kobe remained on 29 points and stayed third after failing to close the gap at the top, while promoted Verdy moved up to 21 points to further boost their survival hopes.
"They dictated the tempo of the game from the first half and we had a tough spell, but we persevered," Verdy captain Koki Morita said. "We had few chances but scored in the second half, and all remained focused on defending together to earn precious points."
Yuya Osako's curling effort and defender Tetsushi Yamakawa's header off a corner gave Verdy early warnings at Noevir Stadium. Hotaru Yamaguchi's shot in the air from the edge of the box also went narrowly wide via a deflection as Verdy ended the first half with a clear sight of goal at the other end.
But the visitors' work paid off in the 65th minute when forward Itsuki Someno picked out an unmarked Hijiri Onaga down the right with a long diagonal ball, with the wing-back's low cross diverted into his own net by Yamaguchi.
Kobe poured forward in search of a leveler, but Verdy, who had their 11-game unbeaten run with eight draws ended last weekend, had enough left to see the game out.
