J-League leaders Urawa Reds were held to a 2-2 draw by Shimzu S-Pulse on Wednesday night.

The Reds went a goal down in the 17th minute after Kazuki Hara converted a penalty but were able to hit back and eventually take the lead through Brazilian midfielder Ponte in the 36th minute and Nobuhisa Yamada with sixteen minutes remaining.

It looked like another Urawa victory until Shimizu defender Arata Kodama equalised in the 86th minute.

"I think the spectators watched a very exciting game... they were the winners of the game today," said Urawa's German coach Volker Finke.

"I think we were close to taking a 3-1 lead, but Shimizu put pressure on us and created so many chances," he said.