Ventforet Kofu and Tegevajaro Miyazaki played out a 1-1 draw in the second round of the J-League 2 regular season on Saturday. The result leaves both sides with a point apiece after opening matches that suggested very different trajectories. Kofu came into the fixture sitting 13th with seven points from five games, while Miyazaki languished in 19th on just two points.
Y. Toshida gave the hosts the lead in the sixth minute, a quick strike that set the tone for how Kofu wanted to approach the encounter. Tegevajaro responded through Y. Naito in the 16th to equalise, and then came the moment that changed the shape of the game. A potential third goal for Kofu was cancelled by VAR in the 39th minute for offside, and here's the thing — that decision shifted everything. By then the yellow cards were already accumulating: E. Watanabe for Kofu in the 21st, H. Endo for the visitors in the 34th, and S. Araki for Kofu in the 51st.
The statistics tell a story of contrasting approaches. Miyazaki controlled possession at 60 per cent and registered 166 attacks compared to Kofu's 131, but Kofu made them count with clinical finishing. The visitors fired 15 shots with only three on target, while Kofu managed two on target from six attempts. Two corners for the hosts against four for the visitors suggested a match decided in transitions rather than sustained pressure.
Both sides made six substitutions each, with Kofu bringing on K. Sato in the 60th and then layering changes around the 86th minute mark. Miyazaki's replacements came in clusters too, with R. Inoue and K. Murakoshi both introduced in the 67th minute.
The draw extends Kofu's poor run — they had not won since their previous five-game span and were coming off defeats to Sagan Tosu and Matsumoto Yamaga. For Miyazaki, who had lost three of five, this point at least halted a losing sequence, though they remain rooted to the foot of the table with just two points from two draws and three defeats.