Oita Trinita saw off Iwaki 4-1 at the Krasus Dome Oita on Saturday in the third round of the J-League 2 regular season. The hosts moved into 13th place with four points after four games, while Iwaki remain rooted at the bottom of the table on just three points from their opening four matches.
S. Utsumoto opened the scoring in the 15th minute before A. Yamanaka doubled the lead shortly after the hour mark. Y. Nishimura then struck twice, his first in the 33rd minute and a second in stoppage time at 45+2, before M. Kimoto added a fourth in the 68th. Iwaki's lone reply came through A. Yamanaka, who was booked in the 49th minute.
There were plenty of changes from both sides. R. Hisanaga came on for Oita in the 46th minute, while Iwaki made three substitutions around the hour mark, bringing on Y. Michiwaki and D. Furukawa alongside A. Yamanaka, who was replaced. K. Arima and Y. Nishimura were withdrawn together in the 73rd minute, and H. Nakano came on for Oita in the 74th.
The statistics tell a mixed story. Oita had more shots on target with eight compared to Iwaki's three, yet Iwaki edged possession at 51.75 per cent and registered more attacks, 69 to 65. Both sides won three corners each, and neither side saw a red card. Yellow cards went to A. Yamanaka and K. Shota for Oita, with Matheus Pereira booked for Iwaki in stoppage time.
Oita had come into this fixture with mixed recent form, including a 3-4 defeat to Nara and a 0-0 draw with Gainare Tottori, while Iwaki's last five games included two defeats and a victory over Imabari. The result extends Oita's unbeaten run to three matches and leaves Iwaki needing points badly in what remains a difficult start to the campaign.