Kawasaki Frontale midfielder Yasuto Wakizaka shoots during a J-League first-division match against Shimizu S-Pulse at IAI Stadium in Shizuoka, Japan, on July 17, 2021. (Kyodo)

       TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Yasuto Wakizaka and Ryota Oshima found the net Saturday as first-place Kawasaki Frontale cruised to a 2-0 win against Shimizu S-Pulse in the J-League top flight.

       The victory at Shizuoka's IAI Stadium took the runaway league leaders another step closer to their second straight championship and their fourth in five seasons.

       Toru Oniki's men took the lead in the 17th minute after Leandro Damiao ran onto a through ball and played a square pass for Wakizaka to tap in from close range.

       Oshima's 50th-minute goal marked a happy J1 return for the former Japan playmaker, who was sidelined with a calf injury from the start of the season before taking part in Kawasaki's recent Asian Champions League group-stage matches, played behind closed doors in Tashkent.

       With Kawasaki surging forward on the counterattack, a miscued clearance delivered the ball to Oshima, who made no mistake under pressure from the left of the area.

       "The ball bounced into my path and I was thankfully able to keep my composure and score," said Oshima, admitting his return to J-League action had been "a little challenging."

       "But it was nice to be back playing in front of fans," he said.

       Elsewhere in the first division, Gamba Osaka beat Avispa Fukuoka 1-0 on the road thanks to an 85th-minute goal from Patric.

       Cerezo Osaka snatched a 1-1 draw against visiting Vissel Kobe, with Koji Toriumi scoring in the 89th minute to cancel out a first-half goal from Celtic-bound Kyogo Furuhashi.

       Sagan Tosu came back to beat visiting Nagoya Grampus 3-1, netting all three of their goals in the second half at Ekimae Real Estate Stadium.

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