Michael Tuckerman reports
Kashima StadiumReferee Masayoshi Okada took centre stage at Kashima Stadium as he called a halt to the top-of-table clash between Kashima Antlers and Kawasaki Frontale.
With Kawasaki leading 3-1, they were left furious when the match was abandoned after 73 minutes as monsoonal rains swept across the ground.
Had the result stood, Kawasaki would have cut Kashima's lead at the top to just four points.
Instead the final fifteen minutes will be replayed on October 7.
Chong Tese had given Kawasaki the lead with a fabulous strike on twenty minutes, with the North Korean international's thumping strike crashing in off the underside of the crossbar.
Kashima pulled a goal back through Marquinhos, but Chong Tese was again on hand to head the visitors back into the lead before the half-time break.
As the rain pounded the 2002 FIFA World Cup venue in the second half, veteran Kawasaki striker Juninho stunned Kashima goalkeeper Hitoshi Sogahata with a shot that skidded in at the near post.
Just when Kawasaki thought they had made inroads on runaway league leaders Kashima, referee Okada stepped in to abandon play courtesy of a waterlogged pitch.
There were angry scenes at the end as furious Kawasaki players berated match officials for their decision to call time on the clash.
Fukuda Denshi ArenaElsewhere JEF United inched closer towards relegation when they lost 1-0 to Albirex Niigata at Fukuda Denshi Arena in Chiba, while local rivals Kashiwa Reysol kept alive their chances of escaping the drop as they beat Nagoya Grampus 3-2 on the road.
Yosuke Kashiwagi scored twice as Sanfrecce Hiroshima defeated Yokohama F. Marinos 3-2 at Big Arch Stadium, while a small crowd turned out at Kamoike Stadium in neutral Kagoshima to see Kyoto Sanga beat FC Tokyo 2-1 - with the capital club losing Brazilian striker Cabore to Qatari club Al-Arabi during the week.
Saturday's other results saw Shimizu S-Pulse beat Omiya Ardija 1-0 at home, while Gamba Osaka defeated Vissel Kobe 3-2 in a Kansai derby at Expo '70 Stadium on the northern outskirts of Osaka.
Sunday's fixtures sees Urawa Reds attempt to end a disastrous seven-game losing streak at home to Montedio Yamagata, while bottom club Oita Trinita welcome Jubilo Iwata to the Kyushu Oil Dome.
The 2009 Yamazaki Nabisco League Cup final will be a local affair at the National Stadium in Tokyo, after capital club FC Tokyo booked a showdown with neighbours Kawasaki Frontale.
In the semi-finals FC Tokyo saw off last season's beaten finalists Shimizu S-Pulse 3-2 on aggregate, while Kawasaki beat Kanagawa rivals Yokohama F. Marinos 3-1 on aggregate.
Yokohama had goalkeeper Hiroki Iikura sent off in the second-leg of his team's tie, and Iikura has subsequently been handed a six-match ban after he was alleged to have pushed referee Kenji Ogiya following his dismissal against Frontale.
Todoroki StadiumKawasaki Frontale were left kicking themselves after they went down 2-0 to Urawa Reds in front of a capacity crowd at Todoroki Stadium in the J. League last weekend.
That defeat was a further blow to the Kanagawa side's chances of winning a first ever J. League title, but for now coach Takashi Sekizuka will turn his attentions to the Asian Champions League.
Kawasaki have reached the quarter-final stage for the second time in the revamped competition's brief history, after Frontale were knocked out on penalties by Iranian side Sepahan in 2007.
This time they face a familiar opponent in the form of fellow Japanese side Nagoya Grampus, with Kawasaki desperate to reach a final played just a stone's throw across the Tama River at the National Stadium in Tokyo.
Kawasaki reached the final eight after finishing second behind K-League side Pohang Steelers in their group, before beating defending champions Gamba Osaka in a one-off Round of 16 clash.
Now the upwardly mobile outfit face another all-J. League test, and they'll be particularly wary of former Frontale midfielder Magnum, who these days pulls the strings in the Nagoya midfield.
Nagoya topped their group at the expense of A-League side Newcastle Jets, before seeing off Korean giants Suwon Bluewings in an impressive Round of 16 victory.
Coach Dragan Stojkovic has failed to inspire his side to any great heights in the J. League this season, so the Champions League represents somewhat of a last chance for Nagoya to make a name for themselves.
Australian striker Josh Kennedy could prove a key figure for the Aichi-based side, with the 1.94m striker scoring four goals in eight league games since his switch from German football.
In other quarter-final fixtures, Qatari surprise package Umm-Salal take on FC Seoul, with the Korean side missing captain Kim Chi-Gon and midfielder Kim Han-Yoon through suspension. Luiz Felipe Scolari will be desperate to steer Uzbek champions Bunyodkor past Pohang Steelers, while Uzbekistan's other representatives Pakhtakor Tashkent take on two-times champions Al-Ittihad of Saudi Arabia.
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