Rongcheng and Seoul maintain dominance in East Asian leagues

Chengdu Rongcheng and FC Seoul continued to assert their dominance in their domestic leagues over the weekend, securing crucial wins to maintain their positions at the top of the standings. Meanwhile, Kashima Antlers recorded their second consecutive victory in Japan's J1 League, though they remain in a tight race for the top spot. ## China PR: Rongcheng's comeback keeps them ahead Chengdu Rongcheng showcased their resilience in a thrilling 3-2 victory over Zhejiang FC in the Chinese Super League. Despite falling two goals behind early in the match, with Park Jin-seob and Alexandru Mitrita scoring for Zhejiang, Rongcheng staged a remarkable comeback. Felipe de Sousa Silva halved the deficit before the break, and his second goal in the 69th minute levelled the scores. Behram Abduweil then sealed the win in the 90th minute, extending Rongcheng's lead at the top to 14 points over Yunnan Yukun. Yunnan kept their slim title hopes alive with a 3-1 win over Dalian Yingbo, staying a point ahead of Shandong Taishan, who defeated Qingdao Hainiu by the same scoreline. Elsewhere, defending champions Shanghai Port FC edged Wuhan Three Towns 3-2, while Shenzhen Peng City, Beijing FC, and Shanghai Shenhua all secured victories in their respective matches. ## Japan: Kashima Antlers make it two wins from two Defending champions Kashima Antlers continued their strong start to the J1 League season with a 2-1 win over Nagoya Grampus. Leonardo de Sousa Pereira gave Antlers the lead in the 22nd minute, but an own goal by Naomichi Ueda in the 54th minute brought Nagoya level. However, Ikuma Sekigawa's late winner in the eighth minute of added time secured all three points for Kashima. Despite the win, Kashima find themselves fourth in the standings, tied on points with FC Machida Zelvia, Sanfrecce Hiroshima, and Kashiwa Reysol, who all sit above them on goal difference. Machida Zelvia cruised to a 4-0 victory over JEF United, with Takuma Nishimura scoring twice, while Sanfrecce Hiroshima defeated Urawa Reds 4-1, with Akito Suzuki also netting a brace. Kashiwa Reysol, meanwhile, beat Tokyo Verdy 3-1. Gamba Osaka and Vissel Kobe were held to draws by Mito Hollyhock and FC Tokyo respectively, leaving them two points behind the leading pack. Elsewhere, Okayama and Yokohama F. Marinos secured narrow 1-0 wins, Avispa Fukuoka cruised past Cerezo Osaka 3-0, and Kawasaki Frontale and Kyoto Sanga played out a 2-2 draw. ## Korea Republic: Seoul extend their lead FC Seoul widened their lead at the top of K League 1 to 10 points with a 4-2 victory over Daejeon Hana. Song Min-kyu was the hero for Seoul, scoring twice in the final 10 minutes to turn the game around after Daejeon had taken the lead through Joo Min-kyu and an own goal by Kim Jin-su. Patrick Klimala and Jeong Seung-won also got on the scoresheet for Seoul. Ulsan HD's hopes of catching Seoul took a hit as they lost 3-2 to Gangwon FC, with Kim Dong-hyeon scoring the winner in the 82nd minute. The result moved Gangwon to within two points of Ulsan, while defending champions Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors FC slipped to fourth after a 3-2 defeat to Bucheon 1995. Elsewhere in K League 1, Jeju defeated FC Anyang 2-0, Pohang Steelers edged FC Gwangju 2-1, and Incheon United FC and Gimcheon Sangmu played out a 1-1 draw.