As the match began, Tochigi pressed hard from the front and tried to force the Verdy build-up into the wide areas. In response, the Verdy players made a series of mistakes and found themselves unable to carry the ball into positions high up the pitch. The opposition also made good use of set pieces and took advantage of a series of corner kicks to build possession and keep Verdy pinned in their own final third. After about ten minutes, however, Verdy gradually took control of the pace. Yamashita received the ball on the right wing and ran at the defense, seeming to be brought down inside the penalty area, but the referee ruled no foul. After that episode, Verdy were in complete control. The opposition still managed to create trouble with a free kick that hit the post in the 18^th minute, but Verdy had a free kick of their own in the 21^st minute, taken by Yuhei Sato, that was only just cleared by the defense. With the team controlling the ball, the Verdy players were not merely content to pass, but also played it forward and put pressure on goal. In the 40^th minute, a move built from the wide areas that ended with a cross from Fujimoto, finding Haruya Ide making a run into the box. Ide controlled the ball with his first touch and appeared to be brought down from behind by a defender, but this too was ruled no foul. As the half came to a close, Verdy had a greater share of possession and the strength of their attacking moves was growing, building expectations for a goal after the break.

At half time, Shion Inoue was taken off for Koki Morita, who was making his return from injury, and the team hoped to break down the opposition further when play resumed. However, that aim would soon be undone. In the 48^th minute, the team made a mistake in their build up from the back and left themselves vulnerable on the counter. Takahiro Shibasaki managed to deflect the initial shot on goal and the covering Shohei Takahashi slid in to block from crossing the line but it was a last ditch effort to stop a clear goal scoring opportunity, one that would end with a penalty kick conceded and the team losing a player to a straight red card. After this, however, the Verdy players would show their resilience and rebound mentality by moving the ball forward with even greater intent. In the 57^th minute, Yamashita’s ability to get behind the defense would create an opportunity. Receiving the ball with space on the right side, the Verdy forward cut inside and played a shallow cross from the by-line. The ball passed through the penalty area and found Takayuki Fukumura, but the angle of his shot was cut off and he instead laid it off, allowing Sato to run onto the ball with a head of steam and fire first-time with his left foot. The final destination of the ball was never in question and Sato was already pumping his fist the moment the shot left his foot, watching as it found the right corner of the net and brought Verdy level. Even after the goal, and despite their numerical disadvantage, Verdy continued with their impressive pass work and put pressure on the opposition goal. There were some mistakes that occurred as the numerical disadvantage inevitably led to greater physical exhaustion and in the 79^th minute, a sharp mid-range shot came in on the counter attack, but this was kept out with a fine save from Shibasaki. The team had slightly less possession than in the first half, but Yamashita and Hanato continually broke behind the defense and reached the penalty area. However, neither was able to put in a clear shot as the match moved into its final phase.

During additional time, Yamashita got behind the defense one final time and set up a golden opportunity one v one with the keeper. Once again, however, the shot was blocked before he could get the ball under his full control and the game ended with the team’s second straight 1-1 draw. Looking back on the result, Verdy will feel hard done by the decisions of the officials, particularly the two incidents in the penalty area that were judged as no-foul, but it’s also true that the players had plenty of opportunities to win the match on their own. Now, they must take out their frustration later in the week in their second away match against Omiya Ardija.

Your thoughts on the match?
We went down a man in the second half and that made things difficult for us, but I really do think the players gave it their all. On the other hand, it had been our plan, having weathered the initial wave of opposition attacks in the first half, to come out a bit smoother in the second and that’s the area where we really need improvement. The players did their job for the full 90 minutes and I think that effort will reap rewards in the future. On top of that, we will do our best to be fully prepared for the next match.

This was Ryoya Yamashita’s first start as a pro. How did you rate his performance?
His strong point is his speed and I wanted him to take full advantage of that, today. In addition, the objective was for his speed to force the opposition to play a deeper defensive line. I think he did an excellent job and I’m sure that he will be an even greater force for us in the future.