Kawasaki Frontale are the defending MEIJI YASUDA J1 LEAGUE champions, and put together arguably the best season in the history of the league in 2020. This year, they’ve looked just as dominant and entered Wednesday’s trip to Fukuoka without a loss in their last 30 matches.

To beat Frontale, it would take something extraordinary. Well, Avispa Fukuoka had Jordy Croux, and he delivered something extraordinary in the 66th minute with a blistering, curling shot that found the very top corner of the goal.

A new signing in Fukuoka, Croux missed the beginning of the campaign with an ankle injury, then picked up a few knocks that kept him from playing as much as Avispa envisioned, but it’s easy to see why they brought the Belgian in. He can make magic happen, and this bit of magic delivered them a memorable win.

Frontale’s loss, combined with a win by Yokohama F·Marinos over Sagan Tosu, has cut the champions’ lead atop the table to just one point. The two teams meet in Yokohama on the final day of the season, and it could be a title fight for the ages all the way down to that ultimate clash.