R25 - J2 results

Montedio Yamagata Cerezo Osaka 0-2
C: Inui 47’, Komatsu 74’

Cerezo ended their streak of defeats with a strong 0-2 win at Montedio this round, which means they are tied with Montedio for 2nd place now. A highly important win, and considering Cerezo were without several key players it was a strong performance as well. For Montedio it was their 2nd straight defeat, and perhaps their good form is about to end.
The match were pretty intense, with quick football and neat passing from both sides. Both defences had a good game though, and the first half didn’t have any real chances. But despite the lack of chances, it was never boring. Cerezo fielded two fairly new signing in midfield this match, in Inui and Aoyama. Inui gave Cerezo the lead a few minutes into the 2nd half when Kagawa set him up after a nice dribbling run. A deserved lead, as Cerezo had the most of the possession. As the match went on, Cerezo still looked like the team in charge, and when Komatsu doubled their lead after receiving a through-pass in the 74th minute, the match were practically over as Montedio realized they wouldn’t get any points from here. A few weeks ago Montedio’s star striker Toyoda returned from injury ( unavailable this match though due to U-23 duties), and the other big-name up front Rychelly made his comeback this match by coming off the bench. Rychelly didn’t had much of an impact on the game though, but surely having those 2 back will be a major boost as they try to defend their 2nd place position. Cerezo had 13 shots to Montedio’s 8th.

Ehime FC Sanfrecce Hiroshima 0-2
S:Takahaji 4’, Sato 32’

League-leaders Sanfrecce took all 3 points when they battled it out against Ehime away this round, and won 2-0. It was a closely contested match though, and Ehime could very well have won it. In fact, Ehime had more shots on goal than the visitors, and it was surprising to see how easy Sanfrecce’s usually sturdy defence let Ehime get shots at them.
A good start from Sanfrecce made Ehime’s case look tough, and Takahaji gave them the lead on a counter-attack after only 4 minutes. It didn’t take too long before Sanfrecce’s lead were doubled, when Sato were on the receiving end of a pass from DF Aoyama, who did great to create space for himself with a surging run forward. He showed great passing skills inside a small space, and Sato had an easy job scoring.
Ehime, who had gone 8 matches unbeaten at home before this match, tried their best to get back into the match, and began making vigorous attacks down both flanks, and created several chances. Lack of accuracy in the finishing let them down though, and even though they put in 2 new strikers it didn’t help. Ehime had 17 shots to Sanfrecce’s 14, and on a better day Ehime would have won this.

Thespa Kusatsu Avispa Fukuoka 1-2
T: Goto 75’
A: Havenaar 38’, Nakajima 67’

After 6-2-0 on the last 8,Thespa were beaten by Avispa at home in a match they should have won. Avispa won 2-1, but it was Thespa that looked the best team, and also had most of the chances. A strong performance from the visitors either way.
Thespa started the game best, and impressed with neat one-touch passing that left the Avispa-defenders running around chasing the ball. But it didn’t result in too many chances, and eventually Avispa found out of the tricky passing game. The tall FW Havenaar gave Avispa the lead a few minutes before the break, with a powerful header from close range. A somewhat undeserved lead by half-time, but it were going to get worse for Thespa.
As neither of the teams managed to build up a momentum in the 2nd half, the teams made a few changes. It didn’t have an immediate effect, but it opened up a little more. Nakajima doubled Avispa’s lead with a shot from a free-kick midway through the half, and now Thespa’s chances of a point looked slim. They managed to get one back though a few minutes later through Goto, but in the end they lost. Avispa got DF Nagira 10 minutes from full time, but even with a man extra Thespa failed to break down the defence. Thespa had 8 shots to Avispa’s 5.

Tokushima Vortis Shonan Bellmare 1-1
T: Abe 80’
S: Abe 67’

Shonan disappointed by only managing a draw away against Tokushima this round, who had 4 straight losses ahead of this one. Shonan doesn’t look like a promotion-contender at the moment, and were lucky to even get the draw here.
Tokushima started the game best, and came to a few big chances early on. They stood high with their defence, which also let Shonan get a few chances on counter-attacks. Most of the action took place after the break though, and the away team took the lead midway through the 2nd half with Yojiro Abe, who fired home a cross from the right. The goal came in a good Shonan-period, and if it hadn’t been for Shimazu in the Tokushima goal, Shonan would have had a bigger lead.
Tokushima didn’t give up though, and got their deserved equalizer 10 minutes from full-time. Another Abe scored the goal, the substitute Yutaro who scored with a header after an inswung free-kick. Tokushima did their best to get the winning goal, but despite a few big chances near the end, the match ended 1-1. Tokushima had 12 shots to Shonan’s 10.

Roasso Kumamoto Mito Hollyhock 1-3
R: Komorida 42’
M: Hori 12’, 69’, Arata 44’

Mito took their 2nd win in a row when they impressed by beating Roasso 3-1 away this round. A strong win and it was deserved too.
Mito’s MVP were by no dout midfielder Kento Hori, who scored twice to secure all 3 points for the visitors. He got on the scoresheet early on, and gave Mito the lead after 12 minutes with a well-taken shot. Roasso took over after the goal, and put Mito under big pressure to try to get the equalizer.But Mito’s defence had a good day, and managed to withstand the Roasso attacks. However, right before the break Roasso got their equalizer through MF Komorida, who just had returned from injury. But Roasso’s joy weren’t to last long, as Mito’s topscorer Arata scored his 7th goal of the season just 2 minutes later to make it 1-2 by half-time.
The 2nd half were a little bit more off the pace, and both teams looked to be running out of steam. Mito managed to look the sharpest though, and Hori got the honour of killing the game off with his 2nd goal midway through the half. A well-deserved win for Mito, who climbed to 12th with the win. Mito had 15 shots to Roasso’s 9.


Sagan Tosu Vegalta Sendai 1-2
S: Hirose 44’
V: Okayama 64’, Ryan Yong Gi 73’

In the battle for 4th place Vegalta beat Sagan 2-1 away, and are now 1 point ahead of them with a game in hand. Both teams had varying results going into this match, but Vegalta showed alot more willingness and poise and were deserved winners.
Sagan got off to the best start though, and looked the sharpest in the first half. Vegalta opted for counter-attacks, but never really managed to get near enough Sagan’s goal for a shot. Sagan took the lead just before the break through Hirose, who scored his first goal of the season.
Vegalta made a few substitutions going into the 2nd half though, and it paid off immediately. Vegalta looked totally changed, and took over the match. Okayama equalized with a nice shot from a set-play in the 64th minute, and it didn’t take long before Ryan had put them 2-1 up. Sagan’s Hidaka fouled a Vegalta striker inside the box, and were rightfully sent-off. Ryan converted the PK with ease, and after the goal it was all Vegalta. Sagan had enough trouble defending themselves, and clearly the one-man deficit affected their play. Vegalta should have scored a couple of more goals, but they managed to win atleast. Vegalta had 14 shots to Sagan’s 6.

Yokohama FC Ventforet Kofu 0-0

Yokohama and Kofu shared the spoils in a 0-0 draw, and that’s a result Kofu should be most happy about. Yokohama were the best team, but can only blame themselves for not being able to score on any of their chances. They had the similar problem last round, when they were held at home by Thespa in another 0-0 draw.
Yokohama looked the best already early on, and got to several big chances in the first half. Anderson had a few dangerous shots, and Nanba’s header were cleared on the line by a Kofu-defender. Right before the break Miura were unlucky not to score from a free-kick, so it was basically one-way traffic. Kofu managed to get alittle more into the game for the 2nd half though, and played a very good game defensively. But overall, they were lucky to escape with a draw, but as both teams are stuck in the middle of the table, the match weren’t the most important one anyway. Yokohama had 12 shots to Kofu’s 5.