Omiya Ardija 5:1 Ventforet Kofu
Omiya Ardija made it clear they are building something special at NACK5 Stadium, dismantling Ventforet Kofu 5:1 in J-League 2's eighth round. The hosts kept their unbeaten run intact, moving further clear at the top of the table. To be fair, the visitors arrived with a losing streak hanging over them, having dropped points in three of their last four outings. By then, the result was never really in doubt.
Caprini opened the scoring in the twenty-eighth minute, a moment that shifted the match entirely. Carlinhos Junior doubled the advantage before the break with a routine strike in the fortieth. And here's the thing — the visitors were reduced to chasing shadows before halftime, their structure already fraying. The penalty in the fiftieth minute sealed Omiya's control, Carlinhos Junior converting to make it three.
The second half brought more goals and a flurry of changes. T. Izumi added a fourth in the eighty-fourth minute, followed by Y. Naito's fifth just two minutes later. Y. Kobayashi completed the scoring in stoppage time, ensuring the hosts got over the line comfortably. Several substitutions were made on both sides, but the damage was already done.
Omiya dominated the numbers without needing to create a single big chance. They registered seven shots on target against six for the visitors, while their 134 attacks compared to 98 tells the story. Possession sat at 56 per cent, but it was the clinical finishing that mattered. The visitors managed four corners to Omiya's two, yet could not penetrate.
The table reflects the gulf between these two sides now. Omiya sit second with sixteen points from eight games, four wins and four draws, not a defeat in sight. Ventforet Kofu languish in eighteenth place with just seven points, five losses already weighing heavily. That gap of nine points feels substantial at this stage.
What stands out is how the hosts have transformed from their recent draw-heavy form into a team that wins matches. They had drawn three of their last five before this, including goalless encounters with Oita and Akihabara. Something changed in their approach, and the visitors paid the price. This was not a spectacle — it was a statement.
