Vanraure Hachinohe secured a 2:1 away victory against Iwata at Stadium Yamaha on Saturday, climbing above their hosts in the J-League 2 standings. The result moves Hachinohe to 13th place, level on points with Iwata who drop to 14th. Both sides arrived with identical records of three wins, one draw and four defeats from eight matches.
Iwata controlled the early tempo and took the lead through S. Otoizumi in the ninth minute. The home side pressed forward with confidence, but R. Ota's penalty chance in the 31st minute failed to materialise. By then Iwata had already accumulated 106 attacks and six corners, yet could only manage five shots on target against Hachinohe's five.
Something shifted after the interval. Hachinohe made seven substitutions at half-time, bringing on Takao, Sato, Ota, Yuri Lara and Teles alongside two others. The changes found their mark within ten minutes when J. Victor equalised in the 62nd minute. Hachinohe had pinned Iwata back despite holding just 33 per cent possession, waiting for their moment.
S. Takayoshi scored the winner in the 69th minute, capitalising on Iwata's inability to close down space. The hosts responded with their own changes, bringing on Nagata, Y. Sato and D. Sato, but could not find a way back into the game. Yuri Lara and K. Fujiwara picked up booking in the second half.
The statistics tell a familiar story. Iwata registered 20 shots off target to Hachinohe's 15, yet neither side created a single big chance. The away side have one foot in survival now, having ended a run of two defeats from their last three matches. Iwata's high line was picked apart at will, and the hosts closed the game out poorly.
