Clean sheets were in short supply across Thursday's fixtures. From the Emperor Cup in Japan to both tiers of the Brasileirão in Brazil, eight matches produced goals at both ends, several of them decided by the smallest of margins.
Emperor Cup: three one-goal games
Urawa Red Diamonds edged the tightest of the trio, beating RB Omiya Ardija 3-2 in a five-goal shootout. Shimizu S-Pulse kept their composure late on to see off V-Varen Nagasaki 2-1, while Yokohama F. Marinos needed a second-half response to get past Kyoto Sangyo University, winning 2-1 after conceding first.
Brasileirão Serie B: goals from both boxes
CRB were the most emphatic of the lot, putting three past Atlético Goianiense in a 3-1 win. Botafogo-SP came from behind on the road, turning an early deficit into a 2-1 victory at Operário-PR. Avaí also had to dig in, holding on for a 2-1 win over Londrina after the visitors got on the scoresheet.
Brasileirão Serie A: one goal apiece, twice over
At the top level, Internacional beat Corinthians 2-1 in a game that swung on fine margins, while Vasco da Gama won 2-1 away at Botafogo. Both results followed the same pattern: an early concession, a response, and a second goal to settle it.
Across the two Brazilian divisions and the Emperor Cup, the common thread was control slipping just enough to let the opponent in, only for the stronger side on the day to find one more. Ten matches in total fit the both-teams-to-score bill, with these eight standing out for how close several of them ran.