Kashima Antlers were dealt their first defeat since the opening day of the season in Match Week 8 of the 2025 MEIJI YASUDA J1 LEAGUE, going down 1-0 away to Sanfrecce Hiroshima on Wednesday.
Naoki Maeda scored the only goal of the game for Hiroshima in his first start since signing from Urawa Reds, converting from inside the six-yard box in the 22nd minute.
Meanwhile, there was late drama in the Tokyo Derby as Henrique Trevisan equalised in the 89th minute to secure a 2-2 draw for FC TOKYO against neighbours Tokyo Verdy.
Tokyo-V took the lead in the 20th minute through Naoki Hayashi’s header from a corner, but Kein Sato struck back for FC TOKYO two minutes before half time.
Itsuki Someno then re-established Tokyo-V’s advantage in the 52nd minute, but FC TOKYO didn’t give up and were rewarded with Henrique Trevisan’s late heroics.
There was last-gasp drama in Kyoto as well, as Kyoto Sanga F.C. struck in the 98th minute to snatch a 1-1 draw against Kashiwa Reysol.
Kashiwa thought they had all three points in the bag thanks to Tojiro Kubo’s 12th-minute effort, but Kyoto’s pressure finally paid off deep into injury time when they forced an own goal.
The midweek fixtures also saw wins for three of the MEIJI YASUDA J1 LEAGUE’s strong starters, as FC Machida Zelvia, Kawasaki Frontale, and Avispa Fukuoka kept themselves within range at the top of the table.
Yuki Soma’s 43rd-minute effort earned FC Machida a hard-fought 1-0 victory on the road at Gamba Osaka, Kawasaki-F beat Shonan Bellmare 2-0 thanks to a Yasuto Wakizaka goal and Ten Miyagi’s late penalty, while Fukuoka took all three points from their clash against Albirex Niigata thanks to Masaya Tashiro’s strike after 60 minutes.
There were celebrations for Cerezo Osaka as well, as they beat Fagiano Okayama 2-1 to claim their first win since the opening day of the season.
All the goals in that game came in the first half, as Thiago Andrade gave C-Osaka the lead in the third minute, Ryunosuke Sato equalised for Okayama in the 44th, and then Rafael Ratao decided things in the third minute of first half stoppage time.
Elsewhere, Nagoya Grampus won for the second game in a row, beating Yokohama F･Marinos 2-0, Vissel Kobe defeated Yokohama FC 1-0, and Urawa edged Shimizu S-Pulse 2-1.
Sanfrecce Hiroshima vs. Kashima Antlers - Game Highlights | 2025 J1 LEAGUE HIGHLIGHTS | MW 8
Tokyo Verdy vs. FC TOKYO - Game Highlights | 2025 J1 LEAGUE HIGHLIGHTS | MW 8
Kyoto Sanga F.C. vs. Kashiwa Reysol - Game Highlights | 2025 J1 LEAGUE HIGHLIGHTS | MW 8
Gamba Osaka vs. FC Machida Zelvia - Game Highlights | 2025 J1 LEAGUE HIGHLIGHTS | MW 8
Kawasaki Frontale vs. Shonan Bellmare - Game Highlights | 2025 J1 LEAGUE HIGHLIGHTS | MW 8
Albirex Niigata vs. Avispa Fukuoka - Game Highlights | 2025 J1 LEAGUE HIGHLIGHTS | MW 8
Cerezo Osaka vs. Fagiano Okayama - Game Highlights | 2025 J1 LEAGUE HIGHLIGHTS | MW 8
Nagoya Grampus vs. Yokohama F･Marinos - Game Highlights | 2025 J1 LEAGUE HIGHLIGHTS | MW 8
Yokohama FC vs. Vissel Kobe - Game Highlights | 2025 J1 LEAGUE HIGHLIGHTS | MW 8
Urawa Reds vs. Shimizu S-Pulse - Game Highlights | 2025 J1 LEAGUE HIGHLIGHTS | MW 8
