Imabari saw off Blaublitz Akita 4-1 in the second round of the Emperor's Cup on Wednesday night. The hosts hadn't won in five league outings before this cup match, but they found their rhythm against a side that had beaten Vентфорет Кофу 3-0 just four days earlier. And here's the thing — they never got going in the tournament, but they certainly got going here.
The opening goal came early, nine minutes in, when K. Mochii finished a move to put Imabari ahead. Blaublitz Akita didn't panic, but they couldn't find an answer. K. Furuyama doubled the lead thirty-three minutes in, and by then the visitors were playing catch-up rather than contesting the game. The hosts stretched the back line with width and ran the show in the middle third.
Nothing changed until the second half, when R. Iizumi added a third goal in the eighty-second minute. Wesley Tanque followed with a fourth seven minutes later, and K. Mori completed the scoring in stoppage time at ninety-plus-three. Imabari kept their heads throughout, even when they were under pressure, and they punished every mistake. To be fair, Blaublitz Akita didn't have a red card or a penalty to complain about — they just couldn't match the tempo.
Statistics told a balanced story that the scoreline didn't reflect. Both sides had fifty percent possession. Imabari registered five shots on target and four off, while Blaublitz Akita managed five on and three off. The visitors earned five corners to two, and they committed four offsides compared to none at home. Imabari won sixteen free kicks against thirteen, and both sides picked up two and one yellow cards respectively.
The result ends a run of three consecutive defeats for Imabari in league play — they had lost 0-4 to Catallet Toyama, 2-3 to Omiya Aridia, and 1-2 to Iwaki before this cup tie. Blaublitz Akita's recent form was mixed, with a draw against Jubilo Iwata and a loss to Kagoshima United among their last five. The hosts advance to the next round, and they'll fancy their chances if they can keep this level up.
