Neta Lavi produced the goal of the afternoon in Saitama on Sunday, thumping in a first-time volley to put the seal on Machida Zelvia's 3-1 win over Urawa Red Diamonds and send the Israeli international's club to the top of Japan's J1 League after three rounds.
The Israel midfielder's goal arrived in the 61st minute at MUFG Stadium in front of 47,781 fans. After a Machida corner was only half-cleared, Lavi held his position on the edge of the box, let the loose ball drop and met it on the volley, the shot skidding off the turf and into the corner of the net beyond the Urawa goalkeeper.
It was the finishing touch on an entertaining afternoon that had already swung twice. Hotaka Nakamura put the hosts ahead in just the 8th minute, only for Ryoma Watanabe to level for Urawa right on the stroke of half-time, scoring in first-half stoppage time to send the sides in level at 1-1.
Machida regained control early in the second half through Takuma Nishimura, whose goal in the 54th minute restored the lead before Lavi's volley made the points safe with half an hour still to play.
Lavi started the match in central midfield and was withdrawn in the 80th minute, having played the leading role in a Machida performance that ONE, the Israeli outlet that first reported the goal, described as among his best since arriving in Japan.
The result extends Machida's start to the 2026-27 Meiji Yasuda J1 League season to three wins out of three, a mark the club has never managed before at the top level of Japanese football. They have now scored 12 goals in those three matches, the division's most prolific attack by some distance, and sit atop the table.
For Urawa Reds, the loss compounds a miserable opening to the campaign: three defeats from three games for the first time in 24 years, since the 2002 season, having now conceded 11 goals in that span.
Lavi, who turns 30 this coming Tuesday, joined Machida Zelvia a year ago this month, arriving from fellow J1 side Gamba Osaka in August 2025. A product of the Maccabi Haifa academy, he captained the club's youth side to a domestic double in 2014 before making his senior debut for the Israeli champions in 2015.
The defensive midfielder has earned 24 caps for the Israel national team and has established himself as a regular starter in Machida's engine room since his move, adding a rare attacking flourish on Sunday to a season that has already brought his club an unprecedented start.
