[J2 Round 8] Imabari scores a goal-filled victory over Nagasaki! Sendai scores 1-0 for their first win of the season

Round 8 (held on April 5th and 6th) match results

Round 8 saw eight matches on April 5th and two matches on the 6th, with the results as follows. Chiba and Omiya, who were competing for the top spot, both suffered losses in the previous round, but Chiba took the lead with a shot from the middle of the field to beat Mito 2-1, while Omiya ended the game in a draw but scored an equalizer in extra time to earn one point. As expected, the top teams also have a strong rebound mentality, and not letting a single loss dwell on them is the secret to their strength. Meanwhile, Ehime and Iwaki, the two teams at the bottom of the table, failed to achieve a victory this round and remain winless.

Held on April 5th

・Sendai 1-0 Akita
・Kofu 1-0 Iwaki
・Sapporo 1-0 Tokushima
・Yamagata 0-0 Iwata
・Omiya 2-2 Oita
Chiba 2-1 Mito
・Yamaguchi 1-1 Ehime
・Tosu 1-0 Fujieda

Held on April 6th

・Kumamoto 0-0 Toyama
Imabari 4-1 Nagasaki

Vinicius' hat trick gives Imabari a comfortable win

Imabari will be competing in the J2 league starting this season. Shortly after their promotion, they set an aggressive goal of "aiming for promotion to J1," and have been progressing smoothly with three wins, three draws, and one loss in their seven matches so far. Despite this, Imabari has yet to win a home game this season. This week they will be hosting Nagasaki for the first time, and they will be determined to grab a win and celebrate their long-awaited first home victory with their supporters. Furthermore, for manager Keiji Kuraishi, who will be taking over this season, Nagasaki is his former club until last season, so he will have an advantage in that he knows the opposing team and players inside and out. It will be interesting to see how Manager Kuraishi will play.

Imabari dominated the ball from the start, but in the sixth minute of the first half, they managed to take the lead. Midfielder Kondo Takatora crossed from the left wing, and striker Marcus Vinicius leaped high in the center of the penalty area, heading the ball over two defenders. However, the opponents continued to press forward, forcing Imabari to defend and equalizing in the 36th minute. The game was back to square one, with the score at 1-1 at halftime. In the second half, Imabari began scoring goals in droves. In the 51st minute, midfielder Arai Hikaru sent a long pass behind the opponent's back, which striker Wesley Tanki swung his right foot to score his second goal. Just two minutes later, they added another goal. Midfielder Kato Junya's through pass was sent to striker Vinicius, who shot. The opposing goalkeeper saved the shot, but striker Tanki then fired the rebound into the bottom left corner. His shot was blocked again, but Vinicius finally slotted it into the bottom left corner of the goal. The third goal was a result of the combination and tenacity of the Brazilian duo, who performed their customary goal celebration with big smiles on their faces.

However, Imabari's momentum was still unstoppable. In the 65th minute, striker Vinicius calmly converted a penalty kick earned by midfielder Kato. With this goal, striker Vinicius completed his hat trick, and Imabari recorded their first home win, 4-1. With the results of this match, Imabari has risen to fourth place. With only two points behind second place, this is a chance to move up the rankings.

Onaiwu's opening goal gives Sendai their first consecutive win of the season!

Last season, Sendai advanced to the playoffs, but lost to Okayama in the final and failed to achieve promotion to J1. This season, they are looking to further improve their offensive power in order to achieve automatic promotion. As of the end of Round 7, they are in 8th place with 3 wins, 2 draws and 2 losses. In the previous round, they won for the first time in four games, but they have yet to win consecutive games and are still not in good form. This round is the "Tohoku Derby" against Akita, both of whom are based in the Tohoku region. They will be looking to grab a win in this special match that they cannot afford to lose and use it as a stepping stone to improve their condition.

Ten minutes into the first half, Sendai took the lead and set the tone. Forward Araki Shunta sent a pass to midfielder Onaiwu Joji, who was running alongside him on the right. Midfielder Onaiwu received the pass, feinted, and approached the goal, then struck with his right foot. The ball shot sharply and powerfully into the top left corner of the goal. Onaiwu had just missed a penalty kick in the first round of the Levain Cup on March 26, but this opening goal must have boosted his confidence. Meanwhile, Akita, eager to score a goal and bring the game back to square one, launched a fierce attack until the very end. They created many big chances, but Sendai's solid defense thwarted them. The long whistle blew to end the match. Sendai secured victory with one goal and a clean sheet. This marked Sendai's first consecutive win of the season and their first win in the Tohoku Derby in two seasons. Keep an eye on their impressive run from here on out.

*The information in this article is current as of the time of publication.