Caltellar Toyama secured a 1-2 victory over TegaWajaromi Miyazaki in the Round of 128 of the J-League Cup on September 2nd. The away side turned a 2-1 deficit into a win with Toshiya Yoshihira's second-half strike. It was a result that caught many by surprise given the home side's early dominance.
Satoshi Kobayashi opened the scoring in the sixth minute before adding his second just one minute later. The home team looked comfortable until Yoshiki Nakashima pulled one back in the 21st minute. And here's the thing — that goal shifted something in the away side's approach.
Caltellar made three changes at the break, bringing on Shota Mizoguchi, Nakashima and Haruki Matsumoto. Yoshihira, who had picked up a yellow card in the 47th minute, was among those who came off earlier. By then, the pattern of the game had changed.
The away side's equaliser came through Yoshihira in the 67th minute. TegaWajaromi responded with three substitutions in the 75th minute, adding Ikuo Tsukamoto, Yuta Iesaka and Sho Sakai. They pushed for an equaliser but found no answer.
Statistics showed the match was fairly balanced. TegaWajaromi held 51 per cent possession but managed only six shots on target compared to Caltellar's eight. The away side registered more attacks — 83 to 80 — and won more throw-ins, 21 to 17. They got dragged out of position at times but held firm when it mattered.
The result means Caltellar advances while TegaWajaromi's cup campaign comes to an end. The home side had looked strong early but couldn't find a way through a side that played with more urgency in the second half.
