Football: Urawa see off Kashiwa 2-0 to keep J1 title hopes alive

Goals from Yoshio Koizumi and Takuya Ogiwara gave Urawa Reds a 2-0 home win over Kashiwa Reysol in the J-League first division on Friday as they secured three points to remain in the thick of the title race.

With four more games to play, the result moved Urawa up to 53 points -- one behind second-place Yokohama F Marinos and five behind leaders Vissel Kobe, who both play Saturday.

Koizumi swept in a rebound for the 53rd-minute opener at Saitama Stadium after fellow midfielder Kaito Yasui ran behind the Kashiwa backline and took a shot from an angle. Keeper Kenta Matsumoto made a save, but coul...