KASHIMA, Japan (Interstat) — Léo Ceará scored twice in the first hour to propel Kashima Antlers to a 2-1 victory over Yokohama F Marinos on Saturday in a J1 League match that defied a late surge from the visitors.

The match, played before a crowd at Kashima Soccer Stadium, saw the home side capitalize on early momentum and withstand a frantic finish to secure three points to open their domestic campaign.

Ceará opened the scoring in the 20th minute, finishing an assist from Yūma Suzuki to give the Antlers an early lead. The forward doubled the advantage in the 57th minute, this time converting a pass from substitute Jeisson Quiñones. Ceará’s brace, which included an assist on his team’s other key sequence, cemented his status as the decisive figure on the pitch.

Yokohama F Marinos, which entered the match with higher preseason expectations according to statistical models, struggled to break down the Kashima defense for most of the contest. The game’s physical nature was evident, with seven yellow cards issued by the officiating crew. The first two bookings came simultaneously in the 26th minute for Yokohama’s Quiñones and Kashima’s Suzuki, setting a combative tone.

The visitors finally found a breakthrough in the 90th minute. Substitute Jun Amano scored a consolation goal deep into second-half stoppage time, finishing a sequence assisted by fellow substitutes Ryōtarō Tsunoda and Kanta Sekitomi. The goal ignited a final push, but Kashima’s defense held firm through more than five minutes of added time to secure the result.

The outcome contrasted with pregame projections. Interstat’s game simulator had predicted a 1-1 draw, while its ELO rating system gave Kashima Antlers a 73.7% probability of victory. The Antlers’ performance validated that higher win likelihood, if not the exact scoreline.

With the win, Kashima Antlers begin their J1 League season with a perfect record of one win and no losses, carrying that form into all competitions for the 2025 campaign. Yokohama F Marinos starts with a defeat, standing at zero wins and one loss both in the league and overall this season.

The match highlighted the impact of substitutions, with all second-half goals and four of the seven assists originating from players who began the game on the bench. For Yokohama, the late contributions from Amano, Sekitomi and Tsunoda provided a spark but ultimately arrived too late to alter the final outcome. Kashima’s depth was also on display, with Quiñones’ assist proving critical.

The Antlers will look to build on this momentum in their next league fixture, while Yokohama F Marinos will aim to rebound from an opening-day setback that saw them fall short despite a late flurry of activity.