The match opened with Verdy making mistakes in build up, leading them to be pushed back in their half. However, they were soon able to get the ball to Leandro, who moved freely up and down the pitch and allowed the team to develop their preferred pace, maintain possession, and push forward. New signing Paraiba was on the ball early, making direct runs at the defense and invigorating the attack. Just as Verdy began to take full control of the play, the match would have its first talking point. It was the 11^th minute and the ball was played to Koki Morita on the left. With his teammates looking to break on the counter, Morita took his time to dribble and waited for the advancing run of Paraiba. With impeccable timing, Morita then played a perfectly weighted through ball, just as Paraiba overtook the defense. The Brazilian quickly left the opposition’s back line in his wake and calmly eyed the movements of the keeper before rolling the ball into the right corner of the net for an early lead. In the 14^th minute, Verdy would be tested by a dangerous shot from the opposition but still maintained control of the play. Five minutes later, the new recruit who had scored on his debut would spur the team on again with a trademark burst of speed. It was the 19^th minute and Klebinho received Naoya Kondo’s pass to the right wing by flicking it first time to Paraiba. Klebinho maintained his forward movement and received the return pass, only to be roughly tacked from behind with no whistle. For a brief moment, time seemed to stop in the vicinity of the ball, but Paraiba had continued his run and after claiming possession, he erupted into space on the right. Once again leaving his defender stranded, Paraiba then rolled a pass to the opposite side of the pitch where Inoue had made a powerful run. The ball slipped between two trailing defenders and found its way to the Verdy man who finished first time and gave the team a second goal from its early momentum. For the rest of the half, the play was start and stop, as several Verdy players received treatment after rough challenges, leading to growing frustration with the officiating.

 

After receiving a blow to the head in the first half, Morita was taken off as a precaution at half time, meaning Junki Koike would take his place on the pitch after the break.

 

Although they had been pushed back somewhat at the close of the half, Verdy began the restart with a renewed attacking vigor. In the 47^th minute, Tatsuya Uchida read a tentative forward pass by the opposition and intercepted, playing the ball forward to the feet of Paraiba, who had switched sides with Inoue. Once again, the Brazilian burst with unstoppable speed along the byline. His marker tried to exploit the height advantage between them by applying physical pressure, but he was unable to win the ball and Paraiba was soon past him into the penalty area. With the Verdy forward one step from the finish line, the desperate Renofa marker threw a leg forward and brought him down, giving Verdy a chance from the penalty spot. The kicker was Leandro. After watching his opponent’s movements until the last possible moment, Leandro finally made contact with the ball and sent it straight into the lap of the keeper, who had perfectly read the angle of the shot. However, the goalkeeper was judged to have left his line early and the kick was ordered to be taken again. This time, Leandro made no mistake and hit a powerful shot to the opposite side that found the back of the net. Verdy would now make one last attacking push to try and finish the match once and for all. In the 55^th minute, the team earned a free kick from a deep position on the right. Kajikawa’s ball into the box was initially cleared, but the former would immediately pick up on the loose ball and hit a through pass, just as the defense was aiming to push up with their offside trap. Rihito Yamamoto was first to the ball, but after trying to set up a shot with his first touch, the ball rolled into the path of the supporting Paraiba who showed no hesitation and hit a line drive shot from a nearly 45 degree angle that found the right corner of the net and put the result beyond doubt.

 

At that point, Verdy finally seemed to show some fatigue and from the 60^th minute, the players were content to retreat and hand possession to the opposition. That set the stage for the day’s other standout performance, exhibited by the man between the posts, Kamifukumoto. In the 63^rd minute, a Renofa player received a cross into the box unmarked and beat Kondo on the dribble to open up the shot. However, the goalkeeper responded sharply to bat the ball away.  In the 75^th minute, a cross from the right wing passed through the box to the opposite side, where it was met by a volley. Despite having his weight on his left foot, Kamifukumoto somehow contorted his body to the right and diverted the shot off course. The super saves would not stop there. In the 88^th minute, a cross from the left was met unmarked on the far side, but the goalkeeper showed cat-like reflexes by leaping to his left and palming it away.

 

Thanks to Kamifukumoto’s efforts, Verdy were able to survive the final minutes of opposition pressure without ever fully conceding the momentum. Even with a four-goal lead, the players focused until the end and earned the full three points with a clean sheet. Still, the day will mostly be remembered for Paraiba’s incredible debut. His speed and power on the ball are great weapons that had so far been missing from the Verdy arsenal this season. It’s also worth highlighting how the other players each made full use of the Brazilian’s individual skill with brilliant tactical understanding. The players firmly executed Manager Nagai’s sophisticated strategy and used the full width of the pitch to stretch the defense. Summer signings Klebinho, Arai, and Paraiba have all showed their abilities and have contributed greatly to the growth of the overall squad. Now they must retain the force of that impact and prepare to earn another three points next week against Albirex Niigata.

Your thoughts on the match?
First of all, I have to note that we began today’s match three hours earlier than scheduled, due to the typhoon, and despite the likelihood that not everyone was informed, we are grateful to have seen so many fans actually make the trip here to Nishigaoka. With regard to the game, we’ve been aiming for the same things ever since I took over as manager and the players, little by little, have truly increased their understanding. We’ve been holding meetings almost every day. We’ve also been spending twice the amount of time in training as before. It’s funny now, but we’ve been working so hard that the Brazilian players began to ask “what kind of a team have I joined here?” and still, everyone has devoted themselves to learning and trying something new. As manager, I am truly grateful. And I am very happy to see the daily efforts of the players bear fruit in the form of victory. I would like to express my gratitude to them. I’d also like to mention the injury to Koki (Morita). You could call it an accident, but from the perspective of the player, I think we have to question that kind of foul. He likely has a concussion and will be unable to play for two weeks. Given how hard he had been working lately, I am sorry to see that happen to him. At the same time, I am also excited to see Koki come back stronger two weeks from now. ※【Footnote from the club】After the press conference, the results of Morita’s medical tests came in and he returned to the stadium. He was walking normally and fully conscious. The details of his tests are currently under confirmation.

The team were extremely effective on the counter, today. Was that due to scouting of the opposition?
You could say that everything went according to plan. The one thing I have consistently stressed since becoming manager is the need to attack areas of the pitch that the defense leaves open. Today, we saw that Yamaguchi placed their side backs high up the pitch, so that means there would be no one to defend in those areas and we discussed simply attacking there. I’ve been careful how I present this to the players. I, personally, do not like the word counter. I don’t want us to become a team who defend, defend, defend and then counter-attack. Instead, we talk about attacking empty spots and the need for speed when doing that. We don’t use the word counter. Rather we use “contra” - “Contra-attack”. We have a growing number of Brazilian players, so we’re using Portuguese more and more. We might end up not using Japanese at all, eventually (laugh).

Can you tell us what you had in mind by playing Shion Inoue as wide striker on the left?
Of course, I have expectations for all of my players, but my expectations for Shion are particularly high. He’s been working hard since I became manager, but there’s been a lot for him to take in and he’s had to raise the level of his tactical memory. Taking positions on the inside may look difficult, but by having him start from a wide position, I thought we could address his tendency to over-think things and allow him to enter the match with a clear head. He performed exactly as I hoped and I was reminded of what a quality player he is. I am happy for him. Every day, I work with the players on developing an attack where anyone of them can break down the defense at any time. It was an excellent goal and a true representation of that philosophy.

How did you rate the play of Jailton Paraiba on his debut?
I had seen footage of him, so I knew he was the real deal and I’d like to say thanks to the club for acquiring a player of his quality at this time of the season. You all saw what he did and it was all that I expected of him. He reminds me a lot of Hulk, who I played with when I was active, and I’m even more exited for our future with him. I think he played brilliantly today.

What is the main element you expect from first-team players in the wide striker position?
The first thing is to force the opposition defense to drop back. Next, I want them to stretch those defenses that try to play with compact spacing. Those are the first two things I expect. We want to make 68 meters of the pitch our attacking zone, so in terms of pushing deep and building numbers, the wide striker is an important position. That’s something that hasn’t changed from when I was the youth team coach. Of course, once we get the ball to Jailton, we have to prioritize his individual skill, but if the opposition shifts position to deal with him, we can build further numerical advantages. That’s something I’m particularly happy about.