Vanraure Hachinohe took all three points away from Yamaha Stadium on Saturday, beating Jubilo Iwata 2-1 in the J2 League's eighth round of matches. The visitors, who had lost three of their last four games, found a way back into contention when summer arrived in Japan. The result leaves both sides level on points but separated by position in the table.
S. Otoizumi gave the hosts early cheer at the nine-minute mark, but the momentum shifted when R. Ota saw his penalty saved at thirty-one. By then the visitors were growing into the game, and the second half belonged to them. Managerial changes came at the interval, with five substitutions for Vanraure at the fifty-seventh minute including Yuri Lara and Iago Teles.
J. Victor broke the deadlock at sixty-two, and S. Takayoshi sealed the victory seven minutes later. Jubilo responded with their own changes, bringing on Y. Sato and D. Sato at seventy minutes, though the visitors' lead held firm. The home side had camped in the final third for large stretches, but the statistics tell a different story about their efficiency.
Jubilo dominated possession at 67 per cent and registered twenty shots off target against five on target, yet created no big chances throughout the ninety minutes. Vanraure managed just fifteen shots off target with five on target, but their clinical edge proved decisive. The home side won six corners to two, while the visitors earned sixteen free-kicks against ten.
Both teams sit on ten points after eight games, with identical records of three wins, one draw and four defeats. Jubilo remain thirteenth while Vanraure hold fourteenth, though the gap between them has narrowed. The visitors ended a barren spell away from home, having failed to score in their previous two matches.
