Surprise J-League leaders Sagan Tosu beat Yokohama F Marinos 2-1 on Saturday to stay one point clear at the top of the table.

Goals from Kim Min-Woo and Kei Ikeda put Sagan two up after only 16 minutes, and a spectacular 90th-minute strike from Shunsuke Nakamura came too late to save Marinos from defeat.

"Even though we have played a lot of games recently, we're not slacking off, we're working hard and we're doing very well" said Sagan striker Yohei Toyoda, who is expected to be named in Japan manager Alberto Zaccheroni's World Cup squad on Monday.

"At the start of the second half we were confident we would be able to keep hold of our lead."

Shinzo Koroki and Yosuke Kashiwagi scored either side of half-time as Urawa Red Diamonds beat Omiya Ardija 2-0 to stay one point behind Sagan in second.

Vissel Kobe moved up to third with a 1-0 win over Ventforet Kofu, while Kashiwa Reysol joined them on 23 points after beating Albirex Niigata 1-0.

World Cup hopeful Yoshito Okubo strengthened his case for a place in Zaccheroni's squad with a brace as Kawasaki Frontale routed Kashima Antlers 4-1.

Okubo, who started all four of Japan's games at the 2010 World Cup but has not been called up since February 2012, took his tally to eight goals for the season after leading the league with 26 last year.

Defending champions Sanfrecce Hiroshima were pegged back after taking the lead in a 1-1 draw with Shimizu S-Pulse, while Kotaro Omori scored an 85th-minute winner as Gamba Osaka beat Nagoya Grampus 2-1.

Diego Forlan's Cerezo Osaka continued their unimpressive form with a 1-0 loss to Vegalta Sendai, while bottom club Tokushima Vortis avoided defeat for just the second time this season in a 0-0 draw with FC Tokyo.