Iwaki FC of the Meiji Yasuda J2 League played against Renofa Yamaguchi away on June 22nd.
◇Meiji Yasuda J2 League Round 21, June 22nd, Ishin Miraifu Stadium
Before the match, Iwaki FC coach Yuzo Tamura quietly expressed his fighting spirit, saying, “We have never beaten Yamaguchi yet, so we want to work hard to beat him.” Iwaki FC, who won the “decisive June” against the top teams, will face Renofa Yamaguchi away.
First, in the 25th minute of the first half, Sakagishi’s cross was not connected, but Kase’s return was the last to Arima! They attacked bravely but could not score, and the first half ended with the score at 0-0.
“(At halftime) I told them to just do their best and try to score a goal,” said Coach Tamura. In the 11th minute of the second half, the game started to change.
The ball was passed to Omori, Sakagishi and finally to Tanimura. This was Tanimura’s 10th goal of the season. Tanimura Umina said, “Sakagishi dropped the ball in a good spot, so all I had to do was score. I’ll just keep scoring to win.”
With this goal, Iwaki gained momentum. Three minutes later, Arima dribbled… he passed one player, then two, and still had the ball. He scored the final goal himself! He ran about 40 meters and showed off his super goal, showing off the technique of the number 10.
Then in the 21st minute of the second half, they scored an additional point from a penalty kick to seal the win, a comfortable 3-0 victory.
Iwaki FC manager Tamura said, “We haven’t been winning at home for a while, so I thought it was important to get three points away from home, and I really owe it all to everyone. Thank you.”
The supporters were excited to see this win, as it was their first in four games.
Iwaki FC remains in 8th place in the league, but with one game remaining, if they win their next match against Nagasaki, they will overtake Yamaguchi in the standings and move into the playoff zone.
On the 29th, they will face Yokohama FC, who are in first place. In any case, they will continue to fight against higher ranking teams, so the match against Nagasaki will be an important one that will lead to future success.
Source: Japanese