TOKYO - Substitute Aleksandar Cavric scored twice in injury time to secure defending champions Kashima Antlers a thrilling 4-3 comeback win over Yokohama F Marinos as the new J.League first-division season opened Friday at MUFG Stadium.
The 32-year-old forward struck the winner in the 12th minute of stoppage time, three minutes after equalizing from the penalty spot in front of 63,960 at the Tokyo Olympic venue.
The marquee clash was the first to kick off under the Japanese league's new August-to-June calendar, aligning it with top European football competitions, while also marking the first J1 match to be broadcast in primetime on terrestrial television since 2002.
Marinos quickly grabbed the initiative in their first league game under Australian manager Steve Corica, turning an interception into a counterattack that culminated with Shin Miidera tapping in unmarked at the back post in the seventh minute.
Kashima took just four minutes to equalize, with Leo Ceara firing home off Ryoya Ogawa's looping free kick into the box.
Kaina Tanimura put Marinos back ahead in the 18th minute, turning in Jun Amano's cross with his first touch. Tanimura brought up his brace in the 58th minute for a 3-1 lead, with Amano once again providing the assist.
Ceara set the match up for a gripping climax with his second goal in the 81st minute, finding the left corner after Yuma Suzuki hit the woodwork.
Toru Oniki's men had an equalizer wiped off at the death for offside following a review by the video assistant referee, but a later VAR decision for handball went in their favor, with Cavric burying the subsequent penalty.
The former Serbia youth international completed the stunning comeback with an angled shot between the legs of Marinos keeper Ruben Blanco.
"I was thinking to pass the ball back, in the last moment I thought to shoot on the ground between the legs," Cavric said. "It was a really tough game, the first game of the season, you never know what kind of game to expect."
Gamba Osaka were 4-3 winners against the visiting Urawa Reds in Friday's other match. The rest of the top division's 20 teams will be in action Saturday and Sunday.
The new league schedule includes a winter break from December to February to accommodate regions with heavy snowfall.
