Matsumoto Yamaga — Albirex Niigata 1:0, J-League Cup — Sportpul

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J-League Cup

Matsumoto Yamaga DWLWDW

1:0

Finished

Kick-off was 29 Sep, 11:00 BST

Albirex Niigata WLWWDL

Venue: Matsumoto Stadium City: Matsumoto

In the J-League Cup game on 29 September 2026, Matsumoto Yamaga beat Albirex Niigata 1:0. Match numbers: corners 5:3, possession, % 43:57.00.

Match report

Matsumoto Yamaga edged Albirex Niigata 1-0 in the Round of 64 of the J-League Cup on Tuesday evening. The hosts held their nerve after Ryohei Takano's 23rd-minute strike. It was a slender margin, but one that sent them through. Niigata had come in with momentum, winning their last three matches before this one. The result shows how football can turn on a moment.

And here's the thing — you could watch that goal a dozen times and still wonder how it happened. Takano found space between two markers, took a touch, and fired. The keeper had no chance.

The game opened up after the hour mark. Niigata brought on Iury Castilho and C. Konagaya together, trying to change the tempo. Matsumoto responded with three changes at the same time — Taguchi, Sawazaki, and Kasai all came off. Things came to a head when Kasai picked up his second booking.

To be fair, the numbers tell a different story. Niigata had 57 per cent possession and 109 attacks, yet managed only three corners. Matsumoto sat deeper with 43 per cent, but their five corners suggested they were dangerous in transition.

This result puts Matsumoto into the last 32, where they'll need another clean sheet to progress. Niigata's run ends here, despite having created more. Sometimes the game doesn't go your way, even when you control it.

Prepared from match data

Video

Match highlights Matsumoto Yamaga — Albirex Niigata J.LEAGUE International

Key numbers

Possession, % 43 – 57.00

Attacks 100 – 109

Corners 5 – 3

Free kicks 7 – 13

⚽ 23' R. Takano — Goal ⇄ 58' Iury Castilho — Substitution ⇄ 58' C. Konagaya — Substitution 🟨 61' K. Kasai — Yellow card ⇄ 63' R. Takano — Substitution ⇄ 68' Y. Taguchi — Substitution ⇄ 68' R. Sawazaki — Substitution ⇄ 68' K. Kasai — Substitution 🟨 71' K. Kawakami — Yellow card ⇄ 81' G. Matsumura — Substitution ⇄ 81' K. Kawakami — Substitution ⇄ 82' T. Arai — Substitution ⇄ 82' Y. Wakatsuki — Substitution

Match events

23' 1:0 Matsumoto Yamaga Goal R. Takano
58' 1:0 Albirex Niigata Substitution Iury Castilho off: M. Moraes
58' 1:0 Albirex Niigata Substitution C. Konagaya off: K. Shimabuku
61' 1:0 Albirex Niigata Yellow card K. Kasai
63' 1:0 Matsumoto Yamaga Substitution R. Takano off: D. Higuchi
68' 1:0 Matsumoto Yamaga Substitution Y. Taguchi off: K. Fujieda
68' 1:0 Matsumoto Yamaga Substitution R. Sawazaki off: H. Murakami
68' 1:0 Albirex Niigata Substitution K. Kasai off: A. Ishiyama
71' 1:0 Matsumoto Yamaga Yellow card K. Kawakami
81' 1:0 Matsumoto Yamaga Substitution G. Matsumura off: S. Kaneko
81' 1:0 Matsumoto Yamaga Substitution K. Kawakami off: S. Rikiyasu
82' 1:0 Albirex Niigata Substitution T. Arai off: T. Kato
82' 1:0 Albirex Niigata Substitution Y. Wakatsuki off: K. Kuwayama

Statistics

43 Possession, % 57.00

100 Attacks 109

5 Corners 3

7 Free kicks 13

2 Offsides 1

1 Yellow cards 1

0 Red cards 0

11 Goal kicks 8

32 Throw-ins 28

The data source provides no per-player statistics for this match: only team totals are available.

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