Tight at the top of J.League By Jeremy Walker TOKYO (April 9)--A power-packed second-half performance swept Yokohama F Marinos past Verdy Kawasaki 3-1 at Tokyo's National Stadium on Saturday night--and into the thick of the championship battle. The Marinos, who haven't won any of Japan's three major trophies since clinching the league title in 1995, fell behind on the half-hour mark when a left-foot shot from Verdy's South Korean forward Kim Hyun Seog fizzed past Yoshikatsu Kawaguchi and into the net via a post. But the Marinos moved up a gear after the break and finished the game as comfortable winners. Captain Yoshiharu Ueno equalised from close range after 52 minutes when Verdy goalkeeper Kenji Honnami failed to hold a vicious free kick from Atsuhiro Miura. With his team now in control and playing with a steady rhythm, Ueno opened up the Verdy defence on 72 minutes with an exquisite pass into the path of South Korean striker Yoo Sang Chul, who beat Honnami at his near post with a crisp left-foot drive on the run. The match ended on a low note for Verdy goalkeeper Honnami, who was sent off for hauling down Marinos right-winger Hideki Nagai in injury time. Honnami handed his orange jersey to midfielder Teruo Iwamoto, whose only job was to pick the ball out of the back of the net after Yoo had beaten him from the penalty spot to complete the scoring. After the game, Marinos' Argentine manager Ossie Ardiles said he always felt his players were capable of coming back in the second half. "We were a goal behind at half-time but I thought we were on top," said Ardiles, who is in his first season as Marinos manager. "In the second half, my players showed their true strength and we deserved to win. The most important thing is that we are improving game by game. "We have now won three in a row and must keep it going." Indeed they must, because only one point separates the top seven teams after six of the 15 rounds in the first stage. Champions Jubilo Iwata lead the way on 12 points, ahead of Kashiwa Reysol and the Marinos also with 12. Jubilo and Reysol have the same goal difference (plus four) but Jubilo occupy top spot on number of goals scored (11 to Reysol's 10). Marinos are third with a plus-two goal difference. Then comes four teams on 11 points, again separated by goal difference or number of goals scored. In order they are Cerezo Osaka, FC Tokyo, Shimizu S-Pulse and Kashima Antlers. Jubilo beat Avispa Fukuoka 2-1 at home thanks to a late own goal from Romanian midfielder Pavel Badea, who turned a low, left-wing cross into his own net in the 88th minute. Reysol would have gone to the top with a win inside 90 minutes (worth three points) at home to Kyoto Purple Sanga, but had to settle for two points with a 119th-minute winner from Korean substitute Park Kun Ha to make it 2-1. Cerezo Osaka brought cheer to the Kansai region by joining the championship challengers--but not in Kobe, where Cerezo beat Vissel 2-1 with a fifth goal of the season from inspirational captain Hiroaki Morishima. FC Tokyo lost 2-1 away to Antlers in a match played at Toyama, hometown of Kashima's star striker Atsushi Yanagisawa. The game will be best remembered, however, for the "miss of the season" from none other than Antlers' Brazilian World Cup-winning striker Bebeto, who managed to hit the crossbar from only one metre out. Fortunately, midfielder Mitsuo Ogasawara was following up to head home the rebound, reducing Bebeto's embarrassment with the winning goal. Shimizu S-Pulse lost 1-0 away to Nagoya Grampus Eight, who recorded a second consecutive victory after opening the season with four straight defeats thanks to a 61st-minute diving header from midfielder Masahiro Koga. Grampus now have six points, and have not ruled themselves out of the title race because of the congestion at the top.