After falling behind 1-0 at the break, Kashima opened the second half with an equaliser in the 47th minute from Takayuki Suzuki who was left unmarked and neatly directed a cross from Yoshiro Nakamura into the net.

Brazilian substitute Tulio had opened the scoring in the 17th minute when he slipped the ball over the line in a scramble in front of the goal to put Sanfrecce up 1-0.

Mitsuo Ogasawara scored the winner with a drive from 25 metres out which he tucked into the corner in the 75th minute at Tokyo's National Stadium.

In Saturday action, Brazilian-born Japanese international Wagner Lopes won the first Tokyo derby for FC Tokyo by scoring both goals in a 2-1 victory over Tokyo Verdy 1969.

The 32-year-old striker -- playing his first league game for FC Tokyo after his close-season move from Nagoya Grampus Eight -- struck a late equaliser from the penalty spot before scoring the winner 21 minutes into sudden-death extra time.

Verdy had taken the lead through new signing Atsuhiro Miura's long-range free kick on 25 minutes.

A crowd of 44,030 attended the game at the new 50,000-capacity Tokyo Stadium in Chofu, western Tokyo.

Both clubs will use it as their home ground this season after Verdy changed their name from Verdy Kawasaki and their base from the industrial city of Kawasaki to the Japanese capital in an effort to boost flagging attendance.

Match-winner Lopes said: 'It's been a wonderful day -- a new season, a new stadium, the first Tokyo derby and a new start for me.'

Miura, signed from Yokohama F Marinos, looked to have won the game for Verdy with his first-half goal, but FC Tokyo's Brazilian striker Amaral broke through the visitors' defence in the 88th minute and was brought down by goalkeeper Shinkichi Kikuchi.

Kikuchi was shown the red card, and Verdy sent on reserve goalkeeper Kenji Honnami in place of an outfield player in an attempt to save the penalty kick.

But Lopes, who represented Japan at the World Cup in France after gaining citizenship in 1997, struck his kick high into the net to send the match into extra time.

Six minutes into the second period, he collected the ball on the edge of the Verdy box, turned smartly and curled a right-foot shot into the top corner to give his new team two points.

Elsewhere on Saturday there were home wins for 1999 champions Jubilo Iwata 4-1 against JEF United Ichihara thanks to two first-half goals from international midfielder Daisuke Oku.

Nagoya Grampus Eight won 2-0 against promoted Urawa Reds, while Kashiwa Reysol topped Shimizu S-Pulse 2-1 in a match of two of the league's more powerful teams.

Avispa Fukuoka beat Gamba Osaka 2-0 with two first-half efforts from Tatsunori Hisanaga and Vissel Kobe won 1-0 away to Yokohama F Marinos.