【Match Report】

Last week, Verdy achieved victory at Fukuda Arena, their first ever since the formidable stadium’s completion ten years ago. This week they continued their second consecutive away match, once again traveling to a ground where they have yet to win in Kanazawa. The majority of the starting lineup was unchanged from last week’s fixture, with the only revision being the addition of Yong-jik Ri at inside half, in place of Yuhei Sato. Meanwhile, for the substitutes, Leandro returned from injury to take his place on the bench.

Verdy’s brand of football showed remarkable maturation over this past Summer and on this day, as well, they threaded passes to build from the back and slowly push their opponents into their own half. Despite being man-marked by the opposition, Verdy’s passwork would test their concentration and the team were quick to take advantage of any momentary opportunities to speed up the play. The first real chance came in the 14th minute. Kanya Fujimoto initiated the play from a deep position on the right wing and beat his marker before playing a cross in front of goal. Douglas reacted before the defense and was first to get a touch, creating space for a shot, but his effort was kept out by a fine save from the goal keeper. In the 20th minute, Verdy attacked again, this time from the left wing, as Jin Izumisawa ran at the defense and crossed to the far side. Fujimoto was there to head the ball back across goal, but the running Douglas was unable to make contact. Once it became clear that Verdy would struggle to break down the opposition with short passing, the team switched gears and began playing balls behind the defense, stretching the opposition’s shape. In the 23rd minute, Akira Ibayashi played a perfectly timed long ball into space for the running Douglas. After using his strength to hold off his marker, Douglas carried the ball in on goal but a trailing defender pressured him from behind and his shot went just wide of the post. With Verdy unable to finish their chances, they would next find themselves on the receiving end. After breaking forward on the counter. the team were left with a shortage of numbers on the left wing and the opposition took advantage, finding attackers unmarked in front of goal for a powerful shot. However, Naoto Kamifukumoto showed sharp reflexes to bat it away.
Hoping to adjust to the opposition’s man marking by changing the balance at wing and wing back, Verdy would bring on Yuki Kagawa for Naoya Tamura at half time. The move saw Yuta Narawa shift to the right side, while Kagawa took his place at left side back. This strategy would have an instant impact. In the 49th minute, Narawa burst into space on the right wing and carried the ball along the byline, all the way into the penalty area. With his head up to look for teammates, Narawa crossed in front of goal, the ball slipping through the goal keeper’s hands, but just missed Douglas making a run at the far post. Although the second half seemed to be shaping up much like the first, from this point Kanazawa would begin to push back. Verdy dealt with the threat without dropping their line too deep and maintained their shape to prevent opportunities for a shot. Soon, the manager would move once again to change the momentum. In the 61st minute, Izumisawa was brought off and replaced by Leandro, making his long-awaited return from injury. It would not take long before Leandro would create a big chance. It was the 66th minute and the Verdy defense broke up an opposition attack before playing the ball to the half way line, where Leandro had drawn three markers and took advantage by playing the ball to a teammate with his first touch, creating space for Verdy to run forward with the ball. Ryota Kajikawa left his marker behind and had plenty of space to hit a long ball behind the defense. Ri then latched onto the pass and carried it forward as the team built a numerical advantage in the final third. Ri elected to use the overlapping Kagawa to his left and the side back hit a first time cross that was met by Douglas, who timed his run perfectly and volleyed into the left corner of the net to give Verdy the lead. The pair nearly repeated the trick moments later in the 68th minute, with Douglas once again volleying first time from a Kagawa cross, but this time the keeper was able to prevent with a desperate save. From that point, Kanazawa would once again push forward. When they did win the ball, however, the Verdy players would find Leandro and the Brazilian was able to open the play and build rhythm for an attack. In the 74th minute, Leandro once again received the ball and played a looping through-pass over the back line with his first touch. The perfectly weighted pass left no room for the goal keeper to leave his line and found the feet of Douglas, who tried an early shot with only the keeper to beat, only to have his effort blocked. Yong-jik Ri would react first to the rebound, but his shot was deflected off the keeper as well.

After this final attacking thrust by Verdy, Kanazawa would throw numbers forward and pin the team back in their area, unable to push up with their defensive line. However, Kamifukumoto showed excellent judgment in dealing with passes into the box, constantly beating his opponents to the ball. He was aided by his teammates who, despite allowing the opponents to pass the ball in the final third, maintained their shape well and covered the holes to prevent any clear chances. In additional time, Kanazawa appeared to have the goal at their mercy but the defenders were somehow able to keep the ball from crossing the line and escaped with their one goal lead intact.
Verdy have now won two matches in a row at stadiums that are known for being difficult to play in on the road. Next week, they return home to face Yokohama FC in a head-to-head matchup between two upper-table teams. The result could have a huge effect on the team’s chances at promotion and should be a watershed moment for this season. For Verdy, the task will be to maintain their momentum and grasp hold of the future with their own hands. The work needed to accomplish that, however, will be unchanged from previous matches. They must focus on the game at hand and prepare to the best of their ability over the next week. There is nothing left to hold back and those diligent efforts will surely be the shortest route to the goal they seek.

監督 Miguel Ángel Lotina