Cavric stuns Marinos in eight-goal J1 opener
Defending champions Kashima Antlers opened the new J.League first-division season with a dramatic 4-3 comeback win over Yokohama F Marinos at MUFG Stadium, with substitute Aleksandar Cavric scoring twice in injury time. The 32-year-old forward hit the equaliser from the penalty spot in the 90+9th minute and then grabbed the winner in the 12th minute of stoppage time in front of 63,960 spectators at the Tokyo Olympic venue. It was a chaotic, high-profile start to the league's new August-to-June calendar and a fitting showcase for the first J1 match to air in primetime on terrestrial television since 2002.
Marinos, in their first league game under Australian manager Steve Corica, struck first through Shin Miidera in the seventh minute after a quick counterattack from an interception. Kashima responded four minutes later when Leo Ceara finished from Ryoya Ogawa's looping free kick, but Kaina Tanimura restored Marinos' lead in the 18th minute and later completed his brace in the 58th minute. Kashima's resilience, and Cavric's late impact, turned a difficult opener into an early statement about the champions' depth and mentality.
The result immediately puts pressure on Marinos after a promising attacking display ended in heartbreak, while Kashima's ability to chase the game from multiple deficits reinforces why they are again viewed as title contenders. The match also carried symbolic weight beyond the scoreline: the league's calendar switch is designed to align Japanese football more closely with Europe, and the television slot was intended to give J1 a bigger national stage. Winning such a spectacle in stoppage time gives Kashima a momentum boost that can shape the early weeks of the season.