The squad featured only one change from their previous match. Ryoya Yamashita, who scored the opening goal against Kyoto Sanga F.C., was brought in place of Shion Inoue at left wide striker.

The opening period of the match saw Verdy take control of possession and play the ball past the opposition’s quick pressing with high-tempo pass work. The first chance arrived in the second minute. After fluid switching of positions by the players on the left side, Yamashita earned a shot from the diagonal left of goal. The ball was on target to reach the bottom right corner but was kept from the net by a fine save from the goalkeeper, after which the Verdy players just failed to tap home the loose ball. Moments later, in the fourth minute, Verdy were on the end of a half-counter and gave up a free shot on goal. However, Matheus left his line with impeccable timing and managed to block the ball by extending his body. That scene would be the only pinch of the day for Verdy, as they would spend the remainder of the 90 minutes in complete control, both in attack and defense. In the 15^th minute, the players broke down the opposition in the final third and Haruya Ide fired a shot that went just over the crossbar. In the 16^th minute, Junki Koike cut inside and tried an effort from the right that was blocked by the keeper. After constant pressure on the opposition goal, the team’s attacking intent would pay off in the 21^st minute. The team had lost possession but quickly regained the ball with their high pressing and Masashi Wakasa launched the short counter with a pass behind the right wing of the defense. Junki Koike broke free and claimed the pass before playing a shallow ball across the face of goal that was met by the running Yamashita on the far side. The Verdy forward then coolly tapped home to give Verdy the lead. After earning the opener, the opposition began coming forward, but Verdy took advantage of the extra space at the back to push them into their own half and control the pace once more. In the 40^th minute, Koike burst into space behind the defense and though the ball was initially deflected by the on-rushing keeper, he continued his run at full speed and applied pressure to cut off the passing lanes. The result was that an attempted pass by the goalkeeper was read and intercepted by Hanato. After controlling the ball, Hanato kept his poise and placed the ball into the left corner of the net before the keeper could return to the goal mouth. Verdy thus ended the first half with a valuable second goal. Despite the honors, this would be the last play of match for Hanato, as he hurt his leg and was taken off as a precaution. A scramble then ensued as Inoue was brought onto the pitch in his place.

In the second half, Verdy would claim even stronger hold of the initiative. In the 52^nd minute, Yamashita used his speed to beat the defense and create a numerical advantage that allowed him to find Inoue unmarked in front of goal. Inoue could only control the ball with his first touch and attempted to shift the ball onto his left foot for a shot but the goalkeeper kept his focus and made the save. In the 57^th minute, Yamashita once again broke down the left side. After drawing away markers, the Verdy forward played a sharp cross behind the defense to the far side and Koike made a well-timed run to meet the ball in front of the goalkeeper, only to see his effort go just wide of the left post. Although they had failed to find the third goal that would finish off the match, the Verdy defense maintained a high line and snuffed out the opposition’s counter attacks before they could develop, ensuring that they remained on the front foot with their attacking pressure. The team’s coordinated efforts in attack and defense would finally pay off in the 72^nd minute. Yamashita once again broke into space on the left and played a cross to the far side. There, Rihito Yamamoto won the battle in the air and headed the ball back across goal. The goalkeeper and Koike struggled for the second ball before it found its way to the feet of Inoue, who swung his left foot for a powerful effort that hurtled into the back of the net, ensuring victory with the team’s third goal. In the final minutes, Verdy continued to create chances by building numerical advantages and refused to allow Gunma a chance to counter. The final whistle then brought the match to a close with a score line of 3-0 and the team earned a long-awaited winning streak.

If one were to be greedy, they could acknowledge that the team created far more chances than those they scored on this day and the players surely wanted to build greater confidence in their finishing ability by converting them. Even so, consecutive wins at the end of the season are of immeasurable value. The team’s mission is now to win their remaining eight matches by continuing to play attacking football. They will have one week to train in pursue of that objective and will want to make full use of that time.

Your thoughts on the match?
As in our previous match, I felt strongly that the players did a truly excellent job over the 90 minutes. In terms of our play today, I had asked them not to give even a millimeter at the start of the match and every player maintained that intensity for 90 minutes, from the kick off to the final whistle. From the start of the season, we have built on our ability to take care of the ball, maintain possession, and dominate the flow of the match. In addition to that, the players have also steadily developed their ability to break down the defense and are now improving their finishing as well. Seeing them demonstrate what we have worked on over 90 minutes of football reminded me once again of how brilliant a squad we really have. Next, we play at home and I hope we can repay our fans and supporters with a brilliant match. I will immediately begin work with the players to prepare. In addition, I am truly grateful to our fans and supporters for traveling to away turf and cheering us on until the end of the match. In particular, today, we had a large number of our young academy graduates on the pitch and they all played with Verdy pride. It was truly a victory earned by the entire squad. In addition, prior to the match and at half time, when I listened to the players, I could tell that they were working hard for those who were left behind in Tokyo and I feel like that passion is what led to the win.

It seemed like the team increased their intensity after the opener. Do you think they learned their lessons from the match in the season’s first half?
I believe that to be true and before the match, I asked them to supplement their skill with strength and toughness. I think they did an excellent job of that over the 90 minutes.

Do you think your intent to make runs behind the defense also worked well?
Our analysis indicated that the space behind the defense was a weak point for Gunma, so I put Junki (Koike) on the right and Yamashita on the left, two players who are good at making runs behind. The players did a good job of executing that plan.

Can you tell us why you decided to give Taira the Captain’s armband?
I had demanded a particularly high amount of Verdy pride from the players today and Taira has shown that in every minute of each match he has played. Lately, we’ve taken to calling him “Ironman Taira” and I wanted to show our admiration for him by naming him as captain.

Can you tell us why you took Sato off for Yamamoto at half time?
There were many reasons, but one of the biggest was that I wanted to change the shape of our midfield. I wouldn’t say that Yuhei (Sato) played poorly and I also think Rihito (Yamamoto) played well as a substitute.

Fujita and Yamamoto were active about making runs in front of goal. How did you rate that aspect of their play?
My demands for them remain ever higher and I’d still only give them a passing grade today, but all things considered, I think they performed well. Still, I know they can do even more and I will continue to demand that from them.