Yokohama F. Marinos 3-4 Kashima Antlers — 16-year-old Miidera stuns on debut, but Cavric's stoppage-time double completes a record-crowd comeback [J1 2026-27 Matchday 1]
2026-08-07
J1 League 2026, Matchday 1: Yokohama F. Marinos hosted Kashima Antlers, and Kashima Antlers won it 4-3.
A record J.League crowd of 63,960 watched Yokohama F. Marinos lead 3-1 with an hour gone — and lose 4-3. Substitute Aleksandar Cavric scored twice deep into stoppage time.
A 16-year-old's opener, then three late Kashima goals in front of a record 63,960
The 2026-27 J1 League opened at MUFG Stadium (the National Stadium) with Yokohama F. Marinos against Kashima Antlers. Shin Miidera, who at 16 years and 4 months became the youngest player ever to start a J1 season opener, swept in the game's first goal after seven minutes. Two goals from Kaina Tanimura put the hosts 3-1 up just past the hour. And then it fell apart. Léo Ceará pulled one back on 81 minutes, and in stoppage time substitute Aleksandar Cavric struck twice to win it 4-3 — in front of 63,960 supporters, the largest crowd ever recorded for a J.League league fixture.
First half — Miidera announces himself, Marinos edge a shootout 2-1
Yokohama took control from the first whistle. On seven minutes Miidera met a cross from the right and finished, a 16-year-old only months out of junior high school scoring on his J1 debut and sending the National Stadium into raptures. Kashima answered almost immediately, Léo Ceará levelling on 11 minutes. But Miidera was not finished: on 17 minutes he wrong-footed former Japan international Naomichi Ueda with a backheel, and from that passage Tanimura put Yokohama back in front on 18 minutes. It was 2-1 at the interval.
Second half — 3-1 up, and then the 81st minute changed everything
Tanimura's second on 58 minutes made it 3-1 and the home crowd began to sense a win. But Toru Oniki had already been busy. He replaced Minato Yoshida with Yuta Matsumura at the break, then on 67 minutes withdrew Yan Matheus and Matheus Bueno for Haruki Hayashi and Gaku Shibasaki, squeezing Yokohama in midfield. On 81 minutes Léo Ceará struck again for 3-2. Yokohama, meanwhile, had taken off Miidera just after the hour and then substituted Tanimura, Tomoki Kondo and Jun Amano all at once — the three men most involved in their goals were watching from the bench.
Cavric — on in the 85th, two goals in stoppage time
Kashima's final roll of the dice settled it. On 85 minutes Rikuto Hirose and Ryoya Ogawa made way for Homare Tokuda and Aleksandar Cavric. Nine minutes into second-half stoppage time, Kashima won a penalty and Cavric buried it for 3-3. Three minutes later he struck again to make it 4-3. Two goals in barely 17 minutes on the pitch. For a Yokohama side that had led by two with half an hour to play, it was as painful an opening night as it is possible to have.
63,960 — a new J.League attendance record for a league match
The club put the attendance at 63,960, beating the 63,854 who watched Yokohama F. Marinos against FC Tokyo at Nissan Stadium on 7 December 2019 and setting a new record for a J.League league fixture. It was a fitting stage on which to launch the first season of the new autumn-to-spring calendar — though not for the hosts, who dropped points they had all but banked. Yokohama travel to Shimizu at IAI Stadium Nihondaira on 15 August; Kashima host Nagoya at Mercari Stadium the same day.
What Marinos found, and what Kashima proved
Yokohama's night was not without profit: in Shin Miidera they have unearthed a genuine talent, a 16-year-old who scored one goal and made another and looked entirely at home in J1. The problem was everything that followed. Taking off Tanimura, Kondo and Amano together while 3-1 ahead left them with nobody to hold the ball up, and Kashima simply camped in their half; the changes meant to see the game out invited the pressure that lost it. Kashima, for their part, showed from the very first weekend that they can turn a game they are losing and that their bench can decide one. Over a long season, a win like this is worth more than three points.
Venue: MUFG Stadium (Japan National Stadium)
- Location
- Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan
- Capacity
- 68,000
The National Stadium completed in 2021, renamed under MUFG's naming rights from 2026. This match drew 63,960 — a record attendance for a J.League league fixture.
Yokohama F. Marinos
Formation: 4-2-3-1
- GKRubén Blanco
- LSBRyotaro Tsunoda
- LCBKosei Suwama
- RCBJeisson Quiñones
- RSBTaisei Inoue
- LDMFKosuke Matsumura
- RDMFKei Chinen
- LAMShin Miidera
- CAMJun Amano
- RAMTomoki Kondo
- CFKaina Tanimura
Yokohama F. Marinos set up in a 4-2-3-1. Rubén Blanco, Ryotaro Tsunoda, Kosei Suwama and others were named in the starting XI.
Kashima Antlers
Formation: 4-4-2
- GKTomoki Hayakawa
- LSBRyoya Ogawa
- LCBIkuma Sekigawa
- RCBNaomichi Ueda
- RSBRikuto Hirose
- LMFMinato Yoshida
- LCMFMatheus Bueno
- RCMFKento Misao
- RMFYan Matheus
- LSTYuma Suzuki
- RSTLéo Ceará
Kashima Antlers set up in a 4-4-2. Tomoki Hayakawa, Ryoya Ogawa, Ikuma Sekigawa and others were named in the starting XI.
Match Summary
J1 League Matchday 1: Yokohama F. Marinos vs Kashima Antlers finished 3-4. Yokohama F. Marinos lined up in a 4-2-3-1.