In the early minutes, Verdy allowed the opposition a clear chance off a cross from the right, but afterward, the players began to retain possession and push their opponents back, and win the second ball, allowing them to mount a sustained attack. In the 4^th minute, Koki Morita exploited a gap between defenders to collect a pass and fire a fierce shot that tested the goalkeeper. In the 14^th minute, Morita again picked up on a diagonal pass from Rihito Yamamoto and launched a powerful mid-range effort that was once again well-saved by the goalkeeper. It was moments later that the match would turn on its head. In the 17^th minute, Verdy were stretched wide on the right and the defense were caught ball watching as a pass was played behind the back line and turned in at the right post by an unmarked attacker for the opening goal. After conceding, Verdy resumed possession and continued to stretch the defense as they looked to put pressure on goal. In the 29^th minute, the players connected a series of ten or more passes before entering the penalty area, where Yamamoto attempted a first-time shot off a shallow cross. However, he was unable to cleanly make contact with the ball. Once again, Verdy would resume possession and pin their opponents in their own half, but in the 39^th minute, their back line was breached and the ball tapped home from the left to extend the opposition lead. Finally, in the first minute of additional time in the first half, Hanato would call for the ball at the post and play it down for Joel Chima Fujita, whose shot cannoned off the left post. Verdy thus failed to pull a goal back before half time.

During the break, the manager gave a harsh evaluation of the team’s defense and outlined scenarios by which they could turn the match around. He also substituted both front central midfielders as play resumed. The players began the half with renewed defensive intensity and tried to be more decisive in attack as they pushed forward, but they were unable to get the ball into effective areas of the final third. Even so, Ryoya Yamashita and Haruya Ide combined well in the wide areas to threaten the goal, showing that potential still remained for a Verdy comeback. In the 62^nd minute, however, the team would concede a series of chances off of consecutive corner kicks. The first of these would produce a good save from Matheus but the second would be propelled into the net in dramatic fashion for a third goal. Immediately afterward, Klebinho and Koike were brought on and the two players would create advantages in the wide areas that enabled them to play dangerous crosses into the box, but none of them led to a clear chance. On the other end, in the 86^th minute, a pass cut through the final third, leading to another stunning shot and a fourth goal. Despite falling behind by an even bigger lead, the Verdy players continued to search for a goal of their own until the final whistle. However, they were unable to correct the slight errors that afflicted their attack and the match ended with no further changes.

With this loss, Verdy’s chances of attaining a position in the top two and earning promotion finally came to an end. With five matches now remaining, it is up to the players what they will express and what impressions they will leave. The 2021 season will also feature limits on the number of teams that can vie for promotion, meaning that the competition will remain fierce. The preparations Verdy will undergo to survive that challenge have already begun.

Your thoughts on the match?
While it was an away match, we had experienced an extremely disappointing result against our opponents in the season’s first leg, so the players were highly motivated to get revenge and achieve the maturity of our football, which we had outlined as our objective for the season’s remaining matches. However, our play at the start of the match, while not exactly a case of over-confidence, was not fully focused and I regret that very much. In addition, there were periods when we did not display our strong point as a team, which is our ability to move the ball with care and push our way up the pitch. I feel that we have to re-examine our fundamentals once again, make adjustments, and obtain a better understanding of the areas in which we are superior to our opponents. Even so, we still executed several good moves. But in terms of finishing those moves, the necessity of which is obvious in football, Ryukyu was able to do that while we were not. The game was a clear reflection of that gap between the two teams. We don’t have long to prepare, but we will now have to shift focus and there is no time for complacency or hanging our heads. I have to keep the players looking forward and we must make progress together. More than anything else, I regret that we were unable to display good football or deliver victory to the fans and supporters who traveled all the way to Okinawa with the expectation of seeing us get a win. We have another home game coming up, so I will work with the team so that we can perform better at that time.

You moved Yamamoto to the libero position after the first half water break. Can you tell us what your aim was?
In terms of our ability to recycle the possession, I felt that things would go smoother with Rihito (Yamamoto) in that position. Judging from the speed of his decision making and precision, it seemed like Joel (Fujita) was tired today and I switched him with Rihito. From the midpoint of the second half, it seemed like the entire team began making fewer runs. The packed schedule is no excuse. Of course, there were will be moments during the match when we question the referee’s decisions, but that’s exactly why we need to be firm about playing our football. We couldn’t do that today. The loss of movement during the second half is one of the major regrets we have from the match.

Can you tell us why you initially played Yamamoto and Morita at front central midfield?
I had felt that the battle for possession would be key today and that having Rihito and Koki Morita, two players who have a very good understanding between them, play together would give us the best chance of winning that battle. For whatever reason, it didn’t work well. I don’t think that it went poorly in every aspect, but those three players in midfield can do a better job of establishing spacing between them. That’s something we will reflect on.

You seemed to struggle with the wind in the first half.
If you ask whether it made things easier or more difficult for us, I would say more difficult. However, that’s part of football and something that we have to take into account when trying to establish dominance of the game. I hope that we can learn to be more intelligent in the way we compete from now on.

Do you think you could have taken more shots in the first half?
We did well to break them down, but still have to improve at the end of moves. If I were to take a positive outlook, I would say that we still have a lot of potential for growth.