The 30th round of the 2016 MEIJI YASUDA J2 League took place on Sunday, with the chase for automatic promotion and the J1 Promotion Playoff tightening up before the league enters a three-week break.

Leaders Consadole Sapporo could only manage a 0-0 draw at fifth place Kyoto Sanga, while second place Matsumoto Yamaga earned the same result on the road at Renofa Yamaguchi.

Cerezo Osaka rose to third with their 3-1 win at Zweigen Kanazawa as Yusuke Maruhashi, Kunimitsu Sekiguchi, and Kenyu Sugimoto all scored.

Two early goals in the second half by Shota Kaneko and Ryohei Shirasaki helped Shimizu S-Pulse past Yokohama FC, much to the delight of a packed away stand at Mitsuzawa Stadium.

With 12 rounds remaining in the competition, the J2 League will now go on a three-week break to accommodate the opening two rounds of the 96th Emperor’s Cup.