[J1 Matchday 1] Machida and Hiroshima, who competed for the championship last season, clash in the opening match!

Machida takes the lead with a goal from Yuki Soma, who showcased his individual skills!

Machida, playing their opening match at home, lined up in a 3-4-2-1 formation. Four new signings, forward Takuma Nishimura, midfielder Hiroyuki Mae, defender Ryuho Kikuchi, and defender Daihachi Okamura, were in the starting lineup. Machida's strengths lie not only in their attack, but also in their solid defense, which includes a three-man backline centered around captain Gen Shoji and goalkeeper Kosei Tani, who recorded the most clean sheets last season. Hiroshima also adopted the same 3-4-2-1 formation as Machida. New signing forward Ryo Germain, who scored 19 goals as a center forward for Iwata last season, was at the forefront of the attack, and fellow new signing midfielder Satoshi Tanaka was also named in the starting lineup.

The match began with intense battles for possession, and neither team could settle down, resulting in a long period where neither could create clear scoring opportunities. Machida suffered a setback when new signing Okada, who was starting, was forced to leave the game due to injury. The sluggish match finally saw a breakthrough in the 26th minute of the first half when Machida's forward Soma Yuki dribbled past defenders from near the center line and unleashed a left-footed shot to score the opening goal. It was a goal that highlighted Soma's exceptional individual skill.

Torgai Arslan scores a skillful goal to tie the game.

Trailing by one goal, Hiroshima had a chance in the 42nd minute when Arslan sent a through pass from just outside the penalty area. Jermaine broke free and received the ball, shooting with his left foot, but goalkeeper Tani made a great save. Hiroshima failed to score, and the first half ended with Machida leading by one goal. Eight minutes into the second half, Machida suffered another setback. Following Okamura's injury, Kikuchi also got hurt. With the successive injuries to their center backs, Machida gradually found themselves increasingly vulnerable to attacks in front of their goal. Hiroshima's golden opportunity came in the 14th minute. From a free kick, striker Kato Rikiji headed the ball over the rebound, and Arslan shot with his right foot to tie the score. It was a skillful goal, with Arslan cleverly connecting with a difficult ball coming from behind.

Hiroshima rookie Sota Nakamura scores the winning goal in his J.League debut!

Riding on their momentum, Hiroshima launched a furious attack from this point on. First, in the 20th minute, defender Sho Sasaki delivered a cross from the left wing, which Arslan headed into the goal, but Tani made a fine save to prevent a second goal. In the 31st minute, they earned a corner kick. Midfielder Daiki Suga kicked the ball in, and defender Hayato Araki fired a shot from the center of the penalty area, but it went wide to the left of the goal. Immediately afterwards, in the 32nd minute, Tani parried a long-range shot from Jermaine, and substitute rookie forward Sota Nakamura, a university graduate, reacted to the rebound and pushed it in to take the lead.

Trailing, Machida pressed forward with a power play towards the opponent's goal for five minutes of added time in the second half, but they were unable to break down Hiroshima's solid defense, and the match ended. In the opening match, a clash between last season's top teams, rookie Nakamura, making his J.League debut, scored the winning goal, giving Hiroshima a 2-1 comeback victory.

The clash between the top teams last season resulted in contrasting outcomes.

This match was Machida's first official game of the season, while Hiroshima was playing their third game, having previously faced Kobe in the FUJIFILM SUPER CUP on the 8th and Nam Dinh (Vietnam) in the first leg of the AFC Champions League 2 Round of 16 on the 12th. Although there were concerns about their physical condition, they may have had more match fitness than Machida. Furthermore, the tactical decisions, including the dynamic performances of the substitute players, were also a contributing factor to their victory.

Machida suffered a disappointing defeat at home, and the match was made difficult by the unfortunate incident of two newly signed center-backs getting injured. Although they started the season with a loss, we can expect Machida to make another strong comeback from here, just like last season, by effectively utilizing set pieces and aiming for goals directly.

Meiji Yasuda J1 League Highlights: Machida vs. Hiroshima: Matchday 1 (Distributed February 16, 2025)

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