The squad put out by the manager featured changes from the previous fixture. The defensive crown was formed by the center back combination of Shohei Takahashi and Tomohiro Taira, while Masashi Wakasa got the start at right side attacker, along with Takayuki Fukumura in the corresponding position on the left. In central midfield, Joel Chima Fujita occupied the libero role with Yuhei Sato and Rihito Yamamoto in front of him. Finally, Haruya Ide returned from injury to slot in at left wide attacker.

As their opponents pressed intensely from the front, Verdy struggled to execute their build up play in the early minutes and often conceded possession. In the second minute, Matheus began a move at the back, but the ball was quickly lost and the opposition were immediately in on the counter attack, leading to a shot from Takagi that cannoned off the left post. In the 12^th minute, a mid-range shot threatened the Verdy goal, followed by consecutive chances for Niigata after they recovered the second ball. However, Matheus came to the rescue with a series of fine saves. Afterward, Verdy struggled to make effective incursions into the opposition half, but in the 22^nd minute, they would finally flex their muscle. Fukumura pushed high up the pitch on the left and after receiving the ball, he played a pass into the space left of the penalty area for Ide to run onto. Facing the goal, Ide drilled a powerful cross into the box where Junki Koike made a run and fought off the goalkeeper and a defender to get a touch. As the ball rolled loose, Fujita made a final push and succeeded in tapping home to give Verdy the lead. After the opener, Verdy would be pinned back as the opposition surged forward. In the 30^th minute, a ball was played into space in the box, where Tese Chong freed himself for a shot, only see to his effort kept out by an excellent save from Matheus. In the 34^th minute, a blocked free kick fell loose in the Verdy area and was poked toward the net, but Matheus stretched his body to block the shot and avert the danger. The Verdy players continued to hold on in defense, even as they struggled to build their rhythm in attack, but a lapse in concentration would occur during a set piece chance. It was the 36^th minute, and after a corner kick was played in from the right, no one was on hand to mark Tese Chong and his pointblank header found the net for an equalizer.

As the second half began, Verdy needed to re-establish control of possession and brought on Ryoya Yamashita for Yamamoto. The team now had speed on both wings and the move would have an impact soon after the restart. In the 48^th minute, Taira was first to the ball after a long kick from the Niigata goalkeeper and he headed it down for Fujita. The Verdy midfielder responded by hitting a direct pass to Sato in the final third. Clearly concerned with the threat of Yamashita’s speed on the left, the opposition had adjusted their positioning, leaving a gap on the right wing which Sato exploited by playing a pass for Koike to run onto. As he entered the right edge of the penalty area, Koike did not hesitate to drill a low pass across the face of goal. The keeper left his line, but not in time and the ball reached the feet of Hanato, who thrust it into the back of the net to give Verdy the lead once more. Unlike the first half, Verdy this time responded to their advantage by maintaining possession and pushing into the opposition half with high tempo passing. The players seemed to have finally found their rhythm, but in the 69^th minute, a corner kick would be turned in by the opposition point blank in front of goal, marking the second time Verdy had allowed an equalizer from a set piece. From that point, it was Verdy who had the lion’s share of chances. In the 77^th minute, Fujita carried the ball up the pitch and hit a through pass for the running Hanato. The free man turned with the ball and let loose with a shot, but the effort was blocked by the goalkeeper. In the 83^rd minute, Yamashita broke into space on the left side and found Koki Morita in the penalty area. The latter received the pass on the edge of the byline, but he had no angle for a cross and elected to shoot instead, only to see his effort blocked. One minute later, Yamashita again broke down the left side and after entering the penalty area, he played a shallow cross that was met by Takahashi. The Verdy defender attempted to alter his timing to shake off the challenge of the defender, but his effort was still blocked. Momentum was now fully on Verdy’s side and in the 88^th minute, two more clear opportunities would arrive from set pieces. The first came after a free kick from the left and the second after a corner kick from the right, both of which were met at the near post but failed to find the net. The biggest chance of all would emerge in the fourth minute of additional time. After Verdy pushed forward on the counter, a cross by Fujita from the left was played to the far post where it was headed back into the box by Yuan Matsuhashi and subsequently headed across the face of goal by Yamashita. The ball then fell for Morita, who was unmarked and hit a first-time volley that just skimmed the right post, ending their final opportunity.

Despite unlocking the opposition goal for the first time in four matches and finding their rhythm in the second half as they grasped control of the play, Verdy were undone on this day by two goals from set pieces. Even more frustrating is the fact that they had further chances to finish the match off but could not score. Still, after failing to generate clear cut opportunities in their previous match against Niigata, this fixture would eventually see Verdy’s attacking intent in full bloom. Now the team will need to work on their finishing over the two days of preparation they have before their next match, hoping to claim the full three points when they take the pitch for a home game at Nishigaoka, a ground that has been friendly to them in recent months.

Your thoughts on the match?
It was similar to our previous fixture against them. Our two teams have very fine similarities in style and it ends up being a battle between two sides that want to take care of the ball and control the play. For that reason, I had been looking forward to this one. The previous match also saw both teams play excellent football and it was a good contest, so I knew the key today would be which group of players could grab hold of the initiative and I think our players did very well. At the end of our attacking moves, they repeatedly executed the things that we work regularly on in training and did an excellent job throughout the 90 minutes of attacking the finishing zone and other areas of the pitch that will bother the opposition. In terms of things we could have done better, I am of course very frustrated at the way we conceded from set pieces. We only have a short amount of time, but I will go over that with the players and work to make improvements. In terms of the 90 minutes as a whole, however, the players showed plenty of the kind of football we want to play and I am grateful for their effort. Finally, on behalf of the team, I would like to offer my thanks to the fans and supporters who traveled to Niigata to attend the match and gave us power until the final whistle. I had hoped to share with them the joy of the full three points, but instead, it was a very frustrating one point. Next match, we will return home and look once again look to play the kind of football that will please the club and our fans.

After the previous match against Yamagata, it seemed like you made adjustments to the balance between the team’s pressing and their defense of passing lanes. How did you feel about the transition from defense to attack, today?
We began by reviewing the basic principles of the way we defend and trying to get back to the those. Although we haven’t been able to devote that much time to it, the players have worked regularly in training on the timing of our press, who should move first and how the other players should move off the ball in response. Today, they did a good job of executing those elements and also defending the passing lanes.

Can you tell us what thoughts were behind your substitutions, today?
The substitutions were made to focus more on attack. Of course, Kondo was also brought on to strengthen our ability to defend against set pieces and long throws, but in general, the substitutions were made to strengthen the attack and try to win the match.

Morita missed a golden opportunity with his volley at the end of the match. Do you have any comments on that?
More than me, I’m sure he is the most frustrated of all, so I hope he can use that frustration as fuel for further growth. That’s true not only for Koki (Morita), but for all of us and I want each of the players to stay positive and continue working.